You Play Ball Like A Girl
by LatinFlower98
Summary: Summer of 63' a new kid moves in town. This story is about family, friendship, and growing up. Hopefully you guys enjoy this story cause this came out of the blue.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I **do not** own the movie "The Sandlot" or any of the original characters. The only characters I own are **my** original characters. Please enjoy the story.

**Uptown Girl**

As I was carrying my suitcase inside I felt a pair of eyes on me. I turned to my right and saw a pale boy staring at me. At least, I thought he was to me. I looked around to confirm it wasn't anyone else and sure enough, it was me. I raised an eyebrow and stopped walking. He waved his hand sheepishly at me and laughed. I nodded my head back, "You wanna take a picture or something? They usually last longer." He turned red and made his way over to me. I noticed he had a baseball glove in his back pocket. "Oh, it's just that I noticed that you're new around here!" He wasn't wrong, I was new, which did make things challenging. "I'm Smalls, Scotty Smalls." I grabbed his hand and shook it. "You can call me Robin." He smiled at me. "It's nice to meet you. So, where are you from?" I readjusted my suitcase, "Brooklyn." He widened his eyes, "Oh wow, that's far." I nodded my head in agreement. "Well, welcome to the neighborhood. I get what it's like to be the new kid. If you want, I could always show you around." I gave him a smirk. "Don't expect a kiss for repayment or anything, kid." He then turned bright red. "Oh no! I was just trying-" I couldn't help but laugh. He seemed confused as he continued to stumble over his words. "Relax, I was only giving you a hard time. I would appreciate that. You up for it now?" He nodded his head. "Yeah! That is if you want to." I quickly ran inside and placed my stuff inside. "Ma! I'm gonna be out!" I yelled out. "Okay, be home for dinner!" I came back outside and put on my hat. "Alright, let's go kid."

He showed me around town, as expected and we exchanged our background stories. It turned out we had a lot in common. "Hey, what time is it?" I looked down at my watch, "A quarter past noon." His eyes widened. "Oh my gosh, I'm late! The guys are gonna kill me!" He then grabbed my wrist and pulled me behind him. "Come on! We gotta go!" I looked down at his hand and looked back up at him. "Hey kid, I can keep up with you just fine!" He yelled his apologies to me and let go. "Where are we even going?" I asked as we ran across the street. "Sandlot!"

What seemed like a long while, even for a small town, we arrived on a familiar diamond-shaped field. I saw a group of boys waiting around. "You're killin me, Smalls! What took you so long!?" I heard a voice yell out. "Sorry! Sorry! I lost track of time!" Once we both were caught up all eyes were on me. "Guys, this is Robin. She's new to the neighborhood." I nodded my head to all of them, "Sup boys." A tall one with glasses grabbed Smalls and pulled him into a huddle. I rolled my eyes, of course, they would act like this. I could overhear them lecture him about bringing new kids to the sandlot, especially girls. "Sorry Smalls, but you know, they can't play like us." I heard the chubby one say. "Is that so!?" I shouted. They all turned around surprised. "How about a deal?" They nervously looked at each other before saying anything. "What kind of deal?" A small one with glasses asked. "How about we play one game? If I don't score a home run I'll be on my way. If I do, you have to take back what you said about girls not being able to play ball like guys." They all looked at each other one last time before agreeing. "Deal!" The chubby one said. I chuckled. This was going to be good.

I was given a bat and I swung it a couple of times to get used to the weight. It was lighter than the one back at Dad's. I stepped up to the plate and positioned myself. The one pitching was the only black kid, I think his name was Kenny. "Don't worry, I'll go easy on you." Oh hell no. He threw it and I didn't even bother to swing. "Hey girl, you're supposed to swing!" The chubby one said behind me. "I got that, but I ain't doing shit until he throws right. There were a bunch of snickers among them. The ball was thrown back. "Alright, let's try this again," Kenny said with a smirk. He threw a lame curveball and I once again didn't swing. It was better, but not good enough. "This kid's a square, Smalls!" The ball was thrown back and Kenny gave me a confused look. "Quit playing around and hit the ball!" He yelled out. "I'll hit it when you throw it like a man!" A bunch of "ooh's" were heard across the field. "Okay! I call this one "the Heater"! Get ready for it girly!" I smirked. Now we're talking. I repositioned myself. He then threw it and gripped the handle. I followed the ball and swung. That loud smack was all I needed to know cause once I saw it fly through the air I dropped the bat and made a run for it. "Oh shit!" I heard scattered shouts of panic as I made it to first base. It wasn't out of the park but it was good enough. The ball had just been grabbed by Smalls by the time I approached the second base. "Get her!" I then sprinted for third as I knew they were eventually gonna catch up to me. I barely made it to third as it was thrown nearby. I saw someone come up beside me and I dodged real quick. I booked it home over the shouting and even jumped over someone that had tripped trying to get to me. Once I touched that base I was all smiles. "Woohoo!" I shouted as I danced around. "Not bad for a girl, right boys!?" They all gave their collected groans as I made my way back around to them all.

I couldn't help but wiggle my eyebrows and stick out my tongue. "Sooo, let's hear it!" I said as I leaned over with my hand behind my ear waiting for them to say it. "A deal's a deal." I heard the one they called "Benny" say. He was kinda cute. "We take it back!" They all said very unhappily. I chuckled and shook my head. "Don't be down, it's all good fellas! Just remember this day!" I walked up to Kenny and stuck out my hand. "The Heater is pretty good. Let's run with that one next time I'm up to bat." He hesitated but grabbed my hand. "Yeah, you were pretty good too." We shook hands and everything seemed cool. After that, I got a proper introduction to them all. This motley crew seemed comforting in some weird way. Maybe, just maybe they would accept me and take me in. Hopefully, everything would work out.


	2. Chapter 2

**Welcome**

Once the boys warmed up to me I got to play ball with them every day. Thank goodness it was summer, cause we had all the time in the world. At least, it felt like it. I wasn't amazing at the game, but I was good enough to play with them and that was good enough for me. I learned a few things here and there and, not gonna lie, I did get better. By the end of the week, I had managed to score nine home runs. I was getting ready for the day when I heard knocking on my door. "Si?" I asked as I buttoned up my shirt. My door opened and walked in my mom. "I'm gonna go to the store later today, are you gonna need anything?" I shook my head as I finished up. "No, do you need me to come with you?" She then shook her head. "No mamas," She then stared at me. "Mande?" I asked confused. "You remind me a lot of your Dad." I nodded my head. She sighed and turned to leave. "Have fun today, love you." Mom and Dad split up six months ago and it was hard. "Love you too Ma." The stress of both their jobs and them not spending enough time together messed things up for them. They loved each other, but things just simply weren't working out.

I headed to the sandlot and saw this huge Mastiff sitting on the outside of the diamond. He noticed me and barked, grabbing everyone's attention. He seemed friendly so I made my way to him. I whistled and patted my chest for him to come. He got up and made his way to me. I bent down and grabbed his face and gave him some lovin'. "Hello, handsome." He licked my face a few times and I couldn't contain my giggles. "What's this guy's name?" I asked. "His name is Hercules. He belongs to Mr. Mertle, the guy that lives over there." Yeah-Yeah said as he gestured to the worn-out green fence. "How fitting. What brings you all the way from Rome?" The boys seemed confused after I made that little joke. "He sometimes comes watches us play and after we're done playing we go visit Mr. Mertle." Squints replied. I stood up and patted Hercules on the side. "Okay, well you boys ready to play?" They gave me the same collective answer and we started.

Today's weather was beautiful, not too hot, cloudy or windy. I kept eyeing Hercules as I was playing the outer field. I've always loved dogs but have never owned one. It's kind of hard to when you live in an apartment in busy Brooklyn. As the game continued on I was starting to get kinda bored. There wasn't much action for an outfielder. I looked down at my watch and noticed a couple of hours had gone by. "Hey, guys! I'm gonna go visit Mr. Mertle, does anyone wanna go?" They all kind of stared at me for a little before I got my answer. "We usually play longer before we go," Bertram answered. "Alright, well I'll see ya guys there!" I whistled over to Hercules and patted my chest. "Come on handsome, let's go meet up with Mr. Mertle."

I made my way over to the front of the house and knocked on the door. It took a minute but an older man came to the door wearing sunglasses. "Hello?" He asked. I quickly caught on that he couldn't see when he didn't look down at me. "Hello Mr. Mertle, my name is Robin. I play with the boys over at the sandlot and I'm new to the neighborhood, so I figured I could come to talk to you before they come over." He opened the door. "It's nice to meet you, come inside."

Hercules went in before me and I simply followed. "So, tell me, where are you from?" He asked as he led me through the house. "Brooklyn," I answered. "How about those Dodgers?" He asked me. "Yeah, that's basically what Brooklyn is known for, besides the bridge," I admitted. Even though it had been a few years since the team was moved, they were still my team. He led me to this room that was filled with baseball memorabilia. "Wait here, I'll be back." He took Hercules with him and I looked around. Now, this guy was really into baseball. There were pictures, trophies, flags, balls, cards, you named it, it was there. "What got you to enjoy the sport?" He asked as he came back in. "Well, my Dad always loved the sport and he was looking forward to having a boy, but instead he got me. So, he made due. He taught me everything I know, well almost everything. The boys have been showing me a lot more stuff." He walked over to a table and sat down. Before I even knew it I just started rambling on and on. "Yes, those are some fine young men. You know, it wasn't until last summer that they started coming over and visiting. I had kept to myself for so long, I had forgotten what it was like to just talk to people. I can promise you this, even for an old grumpy man like myself, those kids can make you feel like you belong regardless of anything. Even for the loneliest people." I placed my hand over his and patted it. "Yes, sir."

Later on, the boys came over and by that point, Mr. Mertle and I had become well acquainted with each other. And of course, when they all rushed in they bombarded him with how the game went and what happened this week with me. I couldn't help but giggle. Growing up with no siblings wasn't as fun as everyone made it out to be. Independent was what I had to be from the very beginning. But, maybe I can be able to depend on somebody else, like these guys.


	3. Chapter 3

Just to clarify the actor who played Benny, Mike Vitar, is Cuban which most likely means Benny is also Cuban. I wanted to make my character also Latino. Since these characters are Latino I wanted to make them bilingual and so I incorporated some Spanish into the story. The translations are after the story down below. And DISCLAIMER: please don't take offense to anything. As someone who is partially Latina, I just wanted to show some representation. Even if it seems a little stereotypical or cliche. So please don't take this too seriously!

**Camp Out**

The sun was starting to set just when the game finished up with Timmy running home. Benny then ran up to me. "Hey, so the guys want to have a camp out tonight and we were wondering if you wanted to come over?" I didn't expect this. "Really? Sure, what time should I head over?" He gave me a smile and all of a sudden my stomach felt weird. "Come over by eight, or if you want I can swing by and grab you." I nodded my head in approval. "Sure, should I bring anything in particular?" He thought for a moment and then looked back up at me. "Your sleeping bag and a flashlight." I nodded my head and smiled at him. "Alright, see ya then."

I then found myself a little nervous. I had never been to a sleepover with a bunch of boys before. How was I gonna get away with this with my mom? There was no way in hell that she was going to let me out this late or go with a bunch of boys. I was gonna have to lie and sneak out. Oh boy, this was gonna come back and bite me in the ass later. I grabbed my pillow and sleeping bag and pushed it underneath my bed. I looked down at my watch and realized I was gonna have to shower up and eat dinner fast. "Ven a comer!" My mom called out. "Be there a sec Ma! I'm gonna go clean up!" I quickly ran to the bathroom and jumped in the shower. I watched as all the dirt and grime went down the drain as I scrubbed myself clean. Once I finished up I dried off and put on my pajamas and ran to the kitchen. "Hey Ma, I got a game early tomorrow morning so I'm gonna have to go to bed soon." I started to shove spoonfuls of fideo into my mouth as she stared at me. "You play baseball an awful lot, aren't you getting tired of it, mija?" I shook my head. "Nah, the game just keeps getting better and better." She nodded her head in understanding. "Okay, if you say so. I think you should take a break from it every once in a while. That way you don't end up getting sick of it." I couldn't help but smirk. "No way, not ever."

After I finished dinner and cleaned up I rushed back into my room. "Night Ma! Love ya!" I waited for her response when suddenly there was a knock on my window. I turned around and saw Benny waving at me to come out already. "Night mamas! Love you!" I closed the door and locked it. I walked over to my window and lifted it. "Hey, you weren't waiting too long, were you?" He shook his head with a smile. "Nah, I just got here." I then grabbed my sleeping bag and pillow and was about to leave when I noticed my flashlight on my nightstand. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot." I grabbed it and tossed it over. I then crawled over and jumped off the edge. Once my feet touched the ground I slowly closed the window behind me. "Thanks for coming to get me." I then picked up all of my things and we started walking. "It's no problem, I figured I should show you the way since you've never been." I couldn't help but feel special. I think I was the first girl to ever be invited. So this was some serious stuff.

"Tu familia de San Juan?" I nodded my head, "Si, y tu?" I asked looking over him. I knew he was Latino just by his demeanor. "Havana." That explained the eyes. "Look at you! No wonder you got them hazel eyes!" I said as I leaned into him and batted my eyelashes. He chuckled while shoving me away. "What gave away my Puerto Rican roots?" I asked him with a smile. He simply shrugged. "I got the feeling when I first saw you play." I nodded my head in agreement. "True, it's kinda in our genes to be good at this sport." We both stopped walking and threw our heads back in laughter. "She's good at baseball, she has a sense of humor, she's tough, what else should I know about?" He asked as we continued to walk. I walked in front of him to block him and looked up at him. "She also makes a mean steak," I said in a sultry voice while wiggling my eyebrows. He laughed and continued to shove me away. "You're too much, Robin."

"Well, we're here," Benny said as we approached the treehouse. "Is it sturdy enough to hold all of us up there?" I asked genuinely concerned. "That depends, how much do you weigh?" He asked. "Well considering I just ate dinner, probably like a 1000 pounds?" He then picked me up which completely caught me off guard. "Hey!" I squeaked out. "We'll probably be okay." I then turned my head around and faced him and that's when I realized how close our faces were. I noticed a slight blush appearing on his cheeks and I would be lying if I said I didn't feel my face heat up. "Hey, guys!" We both looked up and saw Smalls to which Benny immediately let go of me. I landed on the ground with an "oof!" Smalls then looked down between me and Benny. "Come on up!" He tucked his head back in and Benny then helped me back up. "Sorry about that Robin!" Once I was back on my feet we headed over to the ladder. "Ladies first." He said as he stood by. "What a gentleman!" I said as I pulled myself up.

When I made it up at the top I threw my stuff in and accidentally whacked Timmy. "Sorry kid didn't see ya there." I quickly apologized to him. I crawled in and even though it was a little cramped, it wasn't bad. I scooched my through and headed over to Ham. "You want a s'more?" He asked since he was surrounded by the simple ingredients. "Yes please, add mine with another layer of chocolate." He already started making it, "You got it!" I sat down and watched as all the boys started bickering. I couldn't help but giggle. "Mind if I have a bite?" He asked when it was done. "Go ahead, kid." He then took a bite and his eyes widened. I nodded my head in approval. "You think that's great? Wait till you try it with peanut butter." He handed it to me and I gladly took my bite. This took me back to when Dad and I went camping when I was five. Pure nostalgia. "So what's the plan for tonight boys?" It got quiet and everyone kinda just looked at each other. Shrugs all around. "Really?" Everyone continued to stay quiet. "What do girls even do?" I heard Squints ask. I rolled my eyes and sighed. "You're kidding me, right? I thought we were over this whole 'me being a girl' bit. It doesn't matter, ya know. Girls aren't that much different from boys." I told them. They all huddled around me intrigued. "Really?" "Really," Timmy and Tommy asked. I nodded my head. "Yeah, the only difference is that girls are usually cleaner than boys." There were nods all around. "But other than that, we're the same." They continued to stare. "You guys have been around girls before, right?" No reply. I then looked over at Yeah-Yeah. "Hey Yeah-Yeah, don't you have a sister?" He nodded his head. "Yeah yeah but I don't actually hang out with her. That's weird!" I raised an eyebrow. "How do you guys expect to get a girl one day?" Nothing but crickets. "You gotta be kidding me." I sighed while shaking my head.

"How about ghost stories?" I got a bunch of wide eyes and head shakes. "Truth or dare?" Crickets again. "Never have I ever?" I just got a bunch of shrugs. "Jeez, you guys are picky. Let's just start with this. Anyone wanna go first or should I since you guys are chicken?" There were a bunch of rebuttals that I couldn't quite make out but at least I got answers. "I'll go, how do we do this?" Kenny asked. "Well it's easy, you have ten attempts to win, you use your fingers to keep track. You admit what you haven't done by saying 'never have I ever' and whoever has done it has to put a finger down. Whoever has the most fingers up wins." He nodded his head and thought for a moment. "Never have I ever snuck into a movie." We all looked at each other and only Yeah-Yeah and Squints put their fingers down. "Don't lie, Benny! You told me you did one time!" Shouted Squints. "Yeah because Hercules was trying to kill me! So it doesn't count you, dork!" They all then started arguing. I couldn't help but laugh as they pulled out the facts, but we had determined it didn't count since his intentions weren't to see the movie but to simply get away. "Alright, never have I ever gotten kicked out of a birthday party," Bertram said with a big smile on his face. "That was one time!" Ham shouted very unhappily. I couldn't help but giggle. "Never have I ever wimped out on kissing a girl!" I was a bit surprised that out of all the guys, Squints was the one to say this. Everyone got quiet and put a finger down. "I wanna hear this story." A bunch of groans were made and I quickly realized that I was going to have to wait on it. Maybe I could ask Squints later.

Hours had passed and everyone had fallen asleep except for me and Tommy. "Ya know, you don't say much. Why's that?" I asked while sitting up and looked over at him. He shrugged. "That's okay, I can do most of the talking if you want." He nodded his head and also sat up. "I don't have any brothers or sisters, but if I did I think I would like to be known for being my own person." I often thought about Tommy, and how he was always in the shadow of his slightly older brother Timmy. There was no fault on either of them, but it still made me feel bad. "It's okay to speak up on your own." I gave him a small smile and gestured to the comic book in his lap. "I like Captain America too, but I think I prefer Bucky Barnes." He then gave me a toothy grin.

Translations:

Mande - What (from earlier chapter)

Ven a comer - Come eat

Mija - My daughter

Tu familia de San Juan - Your family from San Juan

Si y tu - Yes and you


	4. Chapter 4

**Wendy Peffercorn**

It was raining really hard all day and it finally let up. I needed to go to the store to pick up a couple of things for Mom. "Alright Ma, I'm leaving! I'll be back later!" I put on my jacket and started looking around for my hat. "Okay, please be careful!" I found it underneath my bed. I grabbed it and put it on before heading out the door. The list of things I had to get were: tampons, hair spray, cotton swabs, and vaporub. I had decided to go to Vincent's since Smalls had taken me there when showing me around town. As I was walking I noticed Squints sitting on a tree stump zoning out. I made my way over to him and he didn't seem to notice. "Hey, whatcha doing over here?" He turned over and looked at me slowly. "I've got a lot of things on my mind." He sounded so….serious. "You wanna talk about it?" He didn't reply, but he stood up and followed me to the store. "You ever had woman troubles?" I turned over to look at him to make sure he was talking to me. "What kind of woman troubles?" He readjusted his glasses and sighed. "As in women. You see, I have this situation and it's getting harder and harder to deal with." We entered the store and I grabbed a basket for my things. "Does this have anything to do with that whole "never wimping out on kissing a girl" you said the other night?" He nodded his head. "I did it. I kissed Wendy Peffercorn." He said it as if she was sacred. "Wendy Peffercorn?"

"She's gonna be my wife and the future mother of my children." We walked over to the feminine aisle and I grabbed the specific brand my mom always got. "What's that?" I put it in the basket and turned around and looked at him. "Look, if you don't know what a tampon is you're clearly not ready to take on a woman." He squinted at me and stepped forward. "Oh yeah? Says who?" I then closed the distance and looked him right in the eyes. "Says me, a young woman. So you better listen here buddy, if you want to even get close to her you better learn up on self-confidence and submerge yourself in the company of women. But most importantly, understand that we are not any less or any more than what a man is." He stared at me and then stuck out his hand. "I'll make you a deal. If you can help me get with Wendy Peffercorn then I'll help you with whatever you want. No questions asked." I nodded my head and grabbed his hand and shook it firmly. "You've got yourself a deal. But first I need to finish shopping for my mom."

Before I knew it I had Squints in my room and was teaching him how periods worked. "And that's how that works," I said proudly. His mouth was agape and his eyes were wide. "You really have to deal with this every month?" Oh boy, here we go. "Well no, I haven't exactly gotten my period yet. But mom said I should expect it in about a year or so. Or I may be a late bloomer." I then sat down next to him and patted him on the back. "But anyway, now that you know about periods and how they work, you're more knowledgeable than all the boys in town. Which makes you the most eligible bachelor for her." He nodded his head, "I guess so, when do you think I should ask her to marry me?" Oh boy, he really was in it for the long run. "I think you should wait. How old is she?" He thought for a second and then shrugged. "I don't know, sixteen?" I was taken aback. "Sixteen!? You kissed a sixteen-year-old!? On the lips?" He then smiled at me sheepishly. "Oh my gosh, you've got moxie, kid!" I threw my head back and laughed. I laughed so hard that I fell back on the bed. "At least you got the self-confidence down."

When it got late I walked Squints out the front door. "Thanks for helping me, Robin." I nodded my head as we just stood there. "If you don't mind, do you think we could just keep this a secret? I don't need the guys learning about my plans, just in case they try to make a move on her." I nodded my head. "Okay." He then started to walk away. I was just about to head back inside when I heard him call my name. "Hey Robin," He turned around and looked at me. "You think one day Wendy might actually love me?" I couldn't help but smile. "Yes. Please, by the time we're done you're gonna have plenty of women falling at your feet." He smiled back and then started running home.


	5. Chapter 5

**To the Movies **

It was after dinner and I was on my bed reading when I heard a knocking on my window. I looked over and saw Benny. What could he be up to at this time? I saved my page and got up to open the window. "Hey," He said with a smile. "Hey, don't tell me you're still sour about that move I pulled on you earlier." Earlier when we were playing I was able to get around him and scored. "Nah, I was wondering if you wanted to go see a movie?" A movie? "Just us?" He then laughed. "Yeah, I asked the others and they all chickened out. So all that was left was you." I bit my lip. I could sneak out again but I would have to be quick and quiet. "Okay, but give me a sec." I went to lock my door and grabbed my jacket. I turned off my lamp and made my way back to the window. "Ya know, if you just wanted to go on a date, you could've asked me earlier." I didn't have to look at him to see the blush on his face. I crawled out and shut the window closed. "Uh, well-you see" I giggled and shook my head. "Don't sweat it, kid, I was just pulling your leg."

As we were walking to the theater, I had to figure out how to make conversation to stop the awkward silence. "So, besides baseball what is it that you like to do for fun?" What was it that Benny Rodriguez did other than baseball? From my understanding baseball was life for him. "That's kind of it. I mean, I can have fun. I like going out and stuff. But, my first love was baseball." I figured. At least he had a passion for something he was good at. "What about you?" I shrugged while rubbing the back of my neck. "Where do I start?" I was only kidding but there was a twinkle in his eyes and a smile that made my stomach feel weird again. "Oh yeah? That interesting, huh?" I chuckled while shaking my head. "Nah, I like to read. My Pops got me into comics when I was really small and it's stuck with me ever since. Um….I like to sing." His eyebrows lifted in surprise. "Really?" I nodded my head. "Yeah, but don't get any ideas. I haven't sung since I've moved over here. And when I do it's for a job." We kept walking and I could begin to see the glow from the sign of the cinema. "Back home, my Abuelito would call me "Rockin Robin"." I couldn't help but smile, that old man sure did know how to make me laugh. "Wow, you didn't tell me I was in the presence of a star." I rolled my eyes while shoving him away. "Yeah right! Hey, so what movie are we gonna watch?"

We had chosen "The Birds" since we both agreed that horror was the best genre to see in the theater. As we sat down I looked around and saw that there was no one else in the room with us. "Looks like we got this place to ourselves." He passed me the bag of popcorn. "Yeah, no kidding." I grabbed a handful of the delicious snack and ate it. The crunch was perfect. "Don't be afraid to grab on to me if you get too scared," I said with a wink. "In your dreams dork!" Throughout the movie, I kept glancing over at him. It was neat. I liked looking over the faces of people when watching a movie. I can't explain it, but I've always liked it. Every once in awhile our hands would touch when reaching for the popcorn and I would be lying if I said I didn't like it.

When the movie was over he offered to take me "somewhere cool". I wasn't sure if he and I had the same definition of cool but I trusted him. "How much further?" I asked while glancing at my watch. It was about 9:45 and it was pretty dark outside. "Not much, how often do you look at the sky?" That was a weird thing to ask. "I guess every day? When the sun comes up and when the sun goes down." We approached this grassy area with a large hill. When we were on top of the hill he got down to a crouch and lied down. "Come on." He offered his hand. I took it and joined him. I was still a little confused until I looked up at the sky. The stars were out and I was in awe. There were so many, far too many to count. "Woah," I said aloud. "I figured that you aren't used to this since you're from a big city and all." I nodded my head. "No kidding," It got quiet and we stayed like that for a good long while. It could have been minutes, it could have been hours. I didn't care though, this was amazing. When I got the chance I looked over at him. When he noticed he smiled, "So, what do you think?" What do I think? "This place really is cool. Thank you." His cheeks got that blush again and he quickly looked away. "It's, um, no problem."

Before I knew it we were standing outside my window awkwardly with both of our hands in our pockets. "I had a great time. Thank you for everything." He nodded his head and didn't meet my eyes. "You're welcome." As we continued to stand there I realized that now would be the time to either shake his hand or…. I then quickly kissed his cheek before he could blink and I backed away quickly. "Goodnight, see ya tomorrow." He kind of just stared at me as I turned around to open my window. I was all smiles and my heart was pounding. "Night Robin."


	6. Chapter 6

I'm sure you guys have already seen it but I did change the rating because this story is going to be taking a more serious turn. Since life isn't always PG I thought it would be realistic to show it in this story. There will be very serious themes showed in the next few chapters and throughout the story. I will put a trigger warning at the beginning of each chapter for my more sensitive readers.

**Meeting the Devil**

I could hardly sleep. My heart was singing, my toes were wiggling, and I couldn't wipe the stupid smile off my face. So getting out of bed was a breeze. I couldn't wait to go play some baseball. I put my hair up in a ponytail and put on my cap. As I was looking at myself in the mirror, I started to notice my facial features in great detail. I did look a lot like my Dad but I could see bits of my Mom too. I then smiled and saw my signature dimples that my grandparents adored. I couldn't help but giggle, I felt amazing. I then heard a knock on my door. I walked over to it and unlocked it while opening it and saw my Mom. "Mamas, come with me in the kitchen for breakfast, there's someone I want you to meet." I scrunched my eyebrows together cause I was genuinely confused. Who could I be meeting? I followed her to the kitchen and saw a strange man standing there. He had his black hair slicked back and a very defined jaw structure. He was wearing a suit and smiled at me. She stood next to him and ringed her arm around him. "Robin, this is Tony. Antonio this is Robin." Suddenly all the happiness I had quickly disappeared. I didn't like where this was going. "It's nice to meet you, Robin. Your mother has told me so much about you." I then raised an eyebrow. "Huh, really? That's odd considering she hasn't said a word about you." I knew that was impolite, but I didn't care. "Mija, I wanted to surprise you. Tony and I met when I moved over here. I wanted to wait until you came to live with me to introduce the two of you." I saw the desperation in her eyes and I knew what to expect after this. "It's nice to meet you too Tony." I then stuck out my hand. He gave me a weird look but hesitantly took my hand. I had this off feeling in my gut. There was just something off and I couldn't figure it out. But whatever it was, it was gonna have to wait.

The game wasn't as much fun today. I was distracted which caused me to suck at playing and I felt like trash. "Come on Robin! You're slacking!" I was up to bat and I had two strikes. "Yeah, I'm aware!" I said trying to shake off the awful feeling. Kenny then pitched the ball and I barely hit it. I dropped the bat and ran over to first base. "Since when did you decide to play like a weenie?" Bertram asked. "Since my Mom decided to bring home a boyfriend." A bunch of 'oohs' were made. Timmy then hit the ball and that was out of the park. I made my way around the diamond with ease and decided to sit out the rest of today. I walked over to the shade and sat down while throwing down my hat. "Shit!" I said through gritted teeth. Of course, this had to happen right when things were looking up for me. How could she do this? It would be different if she and Dad had been split for years, not months! Could this day get any worse?

I'm not sure how, but somehow I was at the dinner table with this "tony" guy sitting right across from me. "Your mother tells me that you enjoy playing baseball, is this true?" I nodded my head. "Yes," I replied as my Mom passed the corn to me. "I also enjoy baseball. Maybe we can play catch sometime?" I didn't reply. "I think that would be nice!" My Mom quickly intervened. I figured the less I talked, the better cause I didn't have anything nice to say. "Yeah, I used to play it with my father and his brothers all the time when I was a kid. Although, I'm not sure how they would feel if I was playing with your daughter!" He said with a cackle. I quickly shoved a fork full of food in my mouth before I could say anything. "Robin doesn't just play sports, she's also quite the performer." Not this again. I hated when she did this to me. "Oh really?" My Mom had that smile on her face when she looked over at me. "Yes, in fact, why don't you sing something for us?" I quickly shook my head while still chewing. "Mmmm mmm!" She lightly slapped my shoulder. "Oh don't be bashful! I'm sure Tony would love to hear you!" I sighed knowing there wasn't any way out of this. "Okay, Ma," I said with defeat while finally swallowing and standing up from the table. I slowly stepped underneath the dining room archway and centered myself. "What song Ma?" She was grinning ear to ear, "Over the Rainbow!" Of course, her absolute favorite.

"Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high

There's a land that I've heard of once in a lullaby.

Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue

And the dreams that you dare to dream

Really do come true.

Someday I'll wish upon a star

And wake up where the clouds are far behind me.

Where troubles melt like lemon drops,

High above the chimney tops,

That's where you'll find me.

Somewhere over the rainbow, blue birds fly

Birds fly over the rainbow

Why then, oh why can't I?

If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow

Why, oh why can't I?"

My mom started clapping while still grinning. "Isn't she amazing?" She asked him. "Yeah, she's great. I can see so much of you in her." I wanted nothing more than to just finish up dinner and go to bed. Maybe tomorrow will be a better day.

**Songs used in the chapter (I do not own this song):**

Somewhere Over The Rainbow by Judy Garland


	7. Chapter 7

**It Gets Worse**

I was making my way to the bathroom when I noticed the light was on. I could hear Mom in the kitchen so that only meant one thing. The door then opened up and out walked Tony. "Buenos dias." Oh shit. "What are you doing here?" I blurted out. "Your mom let me stay over last night." Ew, gross. I knew what that meant. "Ven a comer!" We both turned our heads in the direction of the kitchen. When I turned my head back around he was suddenly closer. "Breakfast is ready. I'll see you in the kitchen." He then shoved his way past me which left me dumbfounded. There was only one thing left to do: I had to get rid of this guy.

I skipped breakfast for obvious reasons and headed straight over to Small's house. I knocked on his front door and waited patiently. When the door opened I saw a woman with short brown hair and a beautiful smile that matched her lovely dress. "Good morning, how can I help you?" This had to have been his mother. "Good morning ma'am, my name is Robin and I'm good friends with Scotty, I was wondering if he was home?" She opened the door wider and gestured for me to come in. "I've heard about you, come on in. I'll call him down." I stepped inside and followed her into the living room. Inside was a man who was sitting on the couch reading the newspaper. This was Scotty's stepdad which I had heard a lot about. "Dear, this is a friend of Scotty, Robin." I walked over to him and stuck out my hand. "Good morning sir," He looked up at me and put down his paper and gently grabbed my hand. "Good morning young lady, quite a grip there." I chuckled while letting go. "Yes sir, Dad says there's only one way to shake a hand and every other way is unacceptable." He gave me a nod with a smile and continued to read the newspaper. "I'll be right back Sweetheart, help yourself to some cookies, they're fresh." She then walked away and I eyed the large plate on the coffee table. Chocolate chip. The absolute best. I grabbed one and put it in my back pocket. I then saw Smalls come running down the stairs. "Robin! What are you doing here?" What should I say for now? Cause saying 'how do I get rid of a potential stepdad' doesn't sound good, especially in front of his parents that I just met. "I need help with this science project I'm doing." His eyes widened and he had this big goofy smile on his face.

Once we were clear away from our houses he started to bombard me with questions. "How long have you been working on it? I didn't know you liked science! You should have told me earlier." I waved my hands around to get him to stop but he just kept ongoing. "Have you told the guys? Do you want to be a scientist one day? Is science your best subject?" Boy, he must love science. "Smalls!" He then got quiet. "I only said that so your parents wouldn't think I was a bad influence. Which, of course, I am, but that's not the point. I have some questions about your Dad." He looked confused, which I expected. "Oh, okay. What kind of questions?" We continued to walk down the sidewalk as cars passed us by. "What was it like at first? How did you get along? Did you ever consider getting rid of him? Do you genuinely like him?" He was quiet for a minute. This was a lot for him. "Well, when we first met it was awkward. My Dad died when I was just a kid so I never had a father-like relationship before." Smalls had never mentioned that. I just assumed that his dad wasn't in the picture. "We got along because he's a great dad. I never once thought that he was the bad guy because, in all honesty, I wanted to like him. I was excited about having a dad. So, no I never wanted to get rid of him. And I wouldn't say I just like him, because he's my dad, I love him." I stopped dead in my tracks. Woah. "But don't tell any of the guys that, it's weird." I couldn't help but giggle. Smalls was a good guy and I could respect that.

"Why do you wanna know about this stuff anyway?" We kept on walking and the sun was shining brightly down on us. "Cause my mom is dating this guy. I don't like him, but my mom does." He then looked at me funny. "Why don't you like him?" Wasn't it obvious? "Because! He just shows up suddenly and eats dinner with us like he's part of the family and stays the night like he owns the damn place! Also, there's something off. There's something wrong but I can't quite put my finger on." Smalls was quiet again which made me panic. "Don't tell me that I'm overthinking this." He sighed. "It sounds like you just don't like him because he's not your dad." Was that the reason? "Do you have a dad?" I nodded my head. "Do you love your dad?" I nodded again. "Then maybe that's why. You should probably give him a chance." A sick feeling washed all over me. "I'm gonna puke, you're kidding, right?" He slowly shook his head. "Just think about it. I mean, if he makes your mom happy, is he so bad?" Aw man, he had to hit me with that? How could I argue with that? Could this get any worse?

Translations

Mija - my daughter

Buenos dias - Good morning

Ven a comer - come eat


	8. Chapter 8

**Much Worse **

I woke up to my mom shaking me. "Oh geez!" I said as I shot up. "What time is it?" I looked over to the window. It was still dark so I looked over at the clock: 4:27 Am. "What's going on?" I asked blinking since the light was hurting my eyes. "I just got a call from Abuelita," fear then struck me. "Abuelito had a heart attack." My heart dropped and I wanted to pass out. "They took him to the hospital. I have to go back home and see what's going on." I nodded my head and got up. "Okay, I'll start packing!" She quickly grabbed my arm and pulled me back. "No mamas, I need you here." Was she crazy? "No, I'm coming with you." She shook her head. "No mija. I know you want to come but you have to stay here. I'll only be gone for a few days. I'll call you every day to tell you what's going on. Do you think you can manage?" As much as I wanted to see my grandparents and make sure everything would be okay, I knew what I had to do. "Okay." I sat back down and sighed. She kissed the top of my head and hugged me. "Don't worry, everything will be okay. I've talked to Tony and we made an agreement that he's gonna come by and check on you every day." Oh great, just what I needed. She let go and kissed my cheek. "I'll see you when I get back." She then walked out of my room and left me alone. My Abuelita and Abuelito were the best. Don't get me wrong, my dad's parents were cool too, but they lived in Texas and only got to see them on holidays. I slammed my fists on the bed and grunted. This sucked.

I didn't bother to go back to sleep since everything decided to go wrong. I was pacing my room for about an hour trying to figure out what my next move was. What was I going to do? I was stuck and unfortunately alone. A huge crash of thunder rang out the entire house and startled me. This brought me back to a very early memory of mine. I was five years old and it was the middle of the night and my parents were asleep. I didn't want to wake them up so I hid underneath the bed. I stayed like that for the entire storm. I remember feeling miserable and fighting the urge to just run into my parent's bedroom. I sat down on my bed and stared out the window. There was a drizzle and a flash of lightning that illuminated the sky. There wasn't going to be a game today. I fell back on my bed and stared at the ceiling.

Maybe things would get better? Sure it sucks right now but maybe tomorrow will be a better day. Maybe in a week, Abuelito would be back on his feet, Ma and Pops will get back together, and I'll get to play with the guys again. I then sat up. "It'll be okay, I shouldn't worry." I got up and decided to eat. "No sense of starving myself."

Translations:

Abuelita - grandma (with affection)

Abuelito - grandpa (with affection)


	9. Chapter 9

This chapter is a little light hearted and has one of the most beloved characters, Ham! Consider this the calm before the storm because next chapter is going to be rough.

**The Great Hambino**

For some reason, it was gonna rain all week which was very fitting for my current situation. Mom had been gone for five days and even though she called me every day it didn't help me feel any better. Abuelito was in critical condition and she had no choice but to stay longer. It also didn't help when Tony would come over to check in on me. He was awkward and didn't like to talk. He would just make sure when I would get into bed and at some point would leave the house. It didn't help that every night since Mom left that I kept having the same nightmare. A dark shadow that would watch me sleep at the corner of my room. It would get closer and closer each night. It was probably from all of the stress I was dealing with. And for the cherry on top playing baseball was a no go. Too much rain and lightning.

It was 1:00 pm and I was bored. This wasn't my idea of spending summer vacation. As I was staring out my kitchen window I saw Ham helping his mom carry the groceries in. This then gave me an idea. I grabbed my cap and ran to the front door. As I was reaching the handle I hesitated. Maybe I shouldn't? Oh, what the hell, what did I have to lose? I opened the door and saw Ham. "Hey, Ham!" I called out to him. He looked around and saw me. I closed the door behind me and locked it up. I then made my way over to him. He was holding a couple of brown bags so I grabbed one. "Let me help you out." He gave me a weird look but shrugged. "Okay, follow me." Of course, he didn't know what was going on with me and my life so I tried to stay cool.

I followed him inside and saw a set of twin boys playing tic tac toe on the floor while his mom was putting the groceries away. "Ma! This is Robin!" I placed the groceries down on the counter and waved at her. "You guys hungry?" She asked us. "Yes!" We all said in unison. "Good, I'll make some grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup for everyone." She was plump and had light brown hair. "Come on, let's go," Ham said as he nudged me. I followed him to his room while looking around his house. The walls were green and had a star-like pattern on them. "So what made you decide to come over to the house of Porter?" I shrugged as we entered his room. He had posters of a bunch of wrestlers and baseball players. "I had nothing else to do," I said to him. He got on his bed and grabbed a stack of baseball cards that were sitting on his nightstand. "Yeah, it stinks that it's been raining." I nodded my head in agreement. His mom then came into the room with a bowl of goldfish. "Here ya go, something to snack on in the meantime." She gently grabbed my wrist and shook her head. "You want some pretzels too?" Might as well, I was starving. "Yes, ma'am." She patted my hand, "So skinny, let's feed you good Missy." She then left.

"So, you like wrestling?" He nodded his head while counting his cards. "Yeah, I'm a pretty good overall athlete. My grandpa used to be a famous wrestler overseas." I would have never thought that Ham had an athletic lineage. His mom then came back in with a bowl of pretzels. "Here you go dear, don't be shy, dig right in." She said as she handed it to me. As she walked back out I turned back to Ham, "You're Mom sure loves to prepare food." He leaned over and grabbed a handful of pretzels. "Yeah, Mom didn't have much growing up. So now she vows to never let anyone go hungry if they're in her company." That was sweet. I had plenty of family that considered me too flaca, but this was on a more personal level. "Do you think you'll ever be a wrestler?" He shrugged as he stuffed his face with the pretzels. "Maybe, but I don't know. What would my wrestling name even be?" That was a good question. Suddenly his two little brothers came running to the doorway. "Ham, who is she?" The one on the left asked. He had red hair just like Ham. The one on the right had light brown hair just like his mom. "She's a friend. This is Robin." I waved at them. "Like the bird?" The one on the right asked. "Yeah, just like the bird," I answered with a smile. They both giggled and looked at each other and then back at me. "If you're a girl and you're named after the bird, where are your breasts?" Suddenly a pillow was thrown at them and they both scrammed out of there. "Get out you dweebs!" Ham yelled. I couldn't believe those little shits. Of course, thereafter I couldn't help but look down at my chest and then back at Ham. "Don't worry about it Robin, if you don't grow any you can have mine."

After we ate I was completely stuffed. I was sprawled out on his bedroom floor staring at the ceiling. Boy, his mother sure knew how to cook. "Robin, how come I haven't seen your Mom's car in the driveway in a while?" I should have figured that he would have noticed sooner or later. "My Mom's been out of town. Something's happened, something bad." I didn't want to give too much away just cause I didn't want him to feel bad for me. "So you have the whole house to yourself?" I hadn't even bothered to see it like that. "Yeah," I replied. "Sweet." I snorted while shaking my head. "Hey, I figured out what your wrestling name should be." It wasn't too creative, but I figured he would like it considering it was a tribute to his hero. "Oh yeah? What is it?" He asked looking over me. "The Great Hambino." He was quiet at first but he started laughing. "Ya know, that's pretty good. I like that. Sure, why not. It has a nice ring to it." I couldn't hold back my smile.

Translations:

Abuelito - Grandpa (with affection)

Flaca - skinny


	10. Chapter 10

Attention readers, this is where the story gets very serious. **Trigger Warning:** This chapter has a disturbing scene where an adult acts inappropriately. If you don't feel comfortable with this skip the first paragraph. Apologies if this is inconvenient for anyone.

**Dador de Pesadilla**

The dark shadow was at the edge of my bed. I gripped onto the bedsheets and held my breath. It would be over soon, I just needed to wake up. The shadow then crept up closer to me. I could smell something. It was almost familiar? It then sat on the bed. I closed my eyes and started counting. Why wasn't I waking up? It then smacked by my side. It was beer, the smell was beer. I could feel my heart drop into my stomach. It was him, all this time. Oh no, this was bad. I wasn't dreaming. "Mierda...you look like your mother." I could feel myself starting to shake. This wasn't supposed to happen. He then started to touch my hair. Go away, go away, please go away. He then leaned in and inhaled. "Some..where over the rainbow…" He slowly pulled away. I kept my eyes closed and very, very slowly breathed out. The bed shifted and a couple of uneven steps occurred. That's when a loud WOMP noise was made and it caused me to jump. It was followed by a groan. I waited. I could hear him snoring and a huge wave of relief came over me. I opened my eyes and very slowly turned over. He had fallen over by my door. Boy, he must have been shit faced. I sat up and looked for my shoes. I had to get out of here. I moved as quietly as I could and put on my shoes. I debated on whether I should sneak out the window or go through the door. The door was safer, that way if I ever needed to escape I still had the window for backup. I stepped over him and opened the door. He seemed to be out cold, which was great for me. I then ran down the hallway and out of the house. I kept running. It was still dark outside but I didn't care. Any place was better than back there.

I went to the only place I knew I could get into. The treehouse. I would have to wait here until….when could I even go back? Would it even be safe to go back to the house? I climbed up and pulled myself over to get inside. I crawled over to the nearest wall and leaned up against it. I tried my best to catch my breath and calm down but it was hard. How did I end up in this bullshit? How did any of this happen!? What was I gonna do? I pulled my knees up to my chest and hugged them. How was I gonna tell Mom? Or Dad? I didn't want to be spending my summer like this, this was bullshit. I bit my lip as it began to quiver and shook my head as my eyes watered up. I hated crying, that was for weenies and I wasn't one. I leaned my head back and exhaled. "It'll be okay, things will get better." I felt so drained but I have to keep my head up.

Sleeping was no longer an option but boy, I wish I could. The sun came up and soon after I could hear footsteps approaching. There was a shift in the treehouse and then I saw a head pop up. "Robin?" It was Bertram. "What are you doing here?" He climbed up inside and made his way over to me. What was I gonna tell him? The truth? No way. I didn't want him to freak out! I also didn't want him to tell the guys. "I couldn't sleep last night cause I was so excited about finally playing today!" I said with a small smile. "Oh, yeah. After all that rain, I was getting bored too." He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a...cigarette? It was a skinny rolled up piece of paper. A little too skinny to be a regular cigarette. "You want one? You look kind of down." I grabbed it while examining it. "What is it?" He scoffed at me. "It's a joint!" Ohhhhh, "Where did you get this?" I quickly offered it back. "My brother has a lot of these stashed in his bible. I took a few since he seems to always replace them." He took it back and put it back in his pocket. "You should be careful about this, okay? But thanks." He shrugged. "I doubt I'll get caught, no one will expect it from me. Maybe another time." We then heard voices not too far away. "That must be them." He said as he stood up and walked over to the window. "Hey, guys!" He called out to them.

Playing did help out with my nerves, but not enough to where it got rid of them. Once again Benny stole the show. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that one day he was gonna make it to the majors. He was the best out of all us and in all honesty the best I have seen in our age group. But he always requested that we practice cause he needed it after all practice does make perfect. At least, that's what I've been told. You had to give him credit though, he gave all of his dedication to the sport he loved most. Some team one day would be lucky enough to draft him and whatever team that would be he would make them world-famous.

I decided to visit Mr. Mertle since I hadn't seen him in a while. "Hey, I'm gonna go see Mr. Mertle, see ya guys there!" They continued with their game as I sprinted over to the house. I knocked on the door and soon enough it opened up. "Hi Mr. Mertle," He opened the door without hesitation with a large smile. "Robin, how are you, Dear?" I winced, "I could be better," I admitted as I walked in. I was greeted with Hercules nudging my hands to pet him. I bent down and kissed the top of his head. "Hey bud, I missed you." I patted his head and scratched behind his ears. "Why's that?" I stood back up and looked over to the large man. "Can we talk about something serious?" Should I tell him the whole truth? He then led me to the baseball room and I sat down. "How serious are we talking?" I bit my lip. "I don't want the guys to know about this, or anyone else." He sat in front of me and sighed. "Young lady, if there's a very serious problem you're facing, I would like to help. Especially if it concerns your safety." I was scared. What do I do? "Can you just promise me that you won't get involved until I ask you to?" He frowned but nodded his head. "Yes ma'am, but as long as you promise me that if you ever feel like you're in danger you come to me." I nodded my head, "Yes sir." I sighed and I could feel my eyes water up.

"This might take a while," I admitted to him. "I have the time." I nodded my head, that was true. "Okay. I don't know where to begin, so please stay with me." I then told him everything except for last night. It was harder than I thought but felt good to finally tell somebody. "So then what happened last night?" My eyes widened, how did he know about that? "I may be blind, but I'm not deaf. I heard you inside that treehouse." I tapped my fingers on the table and bit my lip. "Remember that reoccurring nightmare I mentioned, I had it again last night. It...it was bad. Really bad." Should I tell him the rest? "So bad that you had to leave home in the middle of the night?" I guess there wasn't a point of lying. "Last night…" But what if he didn't keep his promise? I could take care of it myself. "It just got really bad. I think it's from all the stress." He didn't say anything. "If that's how you feel, then I can't tell you otherwise. However, if you ever need something, you can come knocking on my door at any time." I appreciated his offer. That's when the front door opened and in came the rest of the gang. They started talking away about their day. I watched them take over and I could feel a small smile form on my face. It would be okay.

Translations:

Dador de Pesadilla - nightmare giver

Mierda - fuck/shit (depending on how you use it)


	11. Chapter 11

Hey guys, I just wanted to know if anyone noticed the cover image? Y'all that took me almost two hours to make. A lot of editing for such a small picture! Well, technically pictures, but you get it. Since a lot is going on with the world right now, let me remind y'all a few things:

1) Wash you (anything and everything frequently)

2) Disinfect things you touch a lot (phones, doorknobs, handles, remotes, etc)

3) Cover your mouth when you gotta sneeze, cough, yawn, burp, etc

4) Be reasonable when purchasing items (you do not need to buy 9 things of **BABY** wipes, **ESPECIALLY** if you **don't** have babies or children!)

5) Stay at home as much as possible and be safe

**Trigger Warning**: This chapter contains violence, specifically child abuse. If you are uncomfortable with this skip the **second** paragraph. Apologies if this inconvenient for anyone.

**Civil War**

I tried to avoid this part all day. I hated the awful feeling in my gut as I got closer to my house. What if he was there? What if he was waiting for me? What was he gonna say? Or do? "Hey, Robin!" I froze up as I felt a hand on my shoulder. Benny smiled at me and I instantly eased up. "Hey," I replied. His smile started to fade as he looked me up and down. "What's wrong? You've been acting weird lately, especially today." I didn't know what to say. "I've just been out of it, that's all." He kept staring at me, clearly not buying it. "I've got a lot of family stuff going on right now. Nothing to worry about." I forced a smile and it still looked like he wasn't falling for it. "I'm a big girl, Benny, don't worry about me. I'll be okay." He gave me a nod and sighed. "Aight, see ya tomorrow." He patted me on the shoulder and jogged away. This didn't make me feel better, but it was sweet of him to care. Maybe I should have told him? He was already out of sight though, but there was always tomorrow.

I walked up to the door and unlocked it. The lights were off and I could barely see. I felt around for the light switch and flipped it on. No sign of him, he must have left when he woke up. I closed the door behind me and started walking towards my room. I wasn't really in the mood to eat, which probably wasn't good since I hadn't eaten all day. A door suddenly slammed open and it scared the shit out of me. "Where the fuck were you?" He stomped his way over to me and I was frozen. His button shirt was slightly open and he was missing a shoe. He got in front of me and breathed heavily. "You think it's okay to run off with your little chamacos?" I didn't answer. "Your mom is worried about you being a little puta while your grandfather is dying! Is that what you want?!" I didn't answer again. He then pushed me against the wall and grabbed my face. "Look at me!" He stared at me with wild eyes. I clenched my fists and stayed silent. He was crazy and I had to get out of here fast. "You aren't allowed out anymore. Do you hear me?" I then kicked his thigh as hard as I could. He winced and let go of me. "Get away from me!" I screamed out. He then backhanded me and pushed me to the floor. I hit the back of my head so hard that there was a ringing in my ears. He stood over me with gritted teeth and grabbed the collar of my shirt. I could hear the seams begin to rip as he glared at me. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. My face stung like I had a swarm of bees on me, my head ached and my hands were shaking. I had to get out. I then tried with all my might and shoved him off with a loud grunt. Jumping up was a struggle but it didn't matter; I sprinted as fast as I could down the block.

The ringing continued as I ran. My vision clouded up and everything hurt. I then could hear something in the distance. My legs were already burning and I had to stop. I ran by a house and hid behind it not caring if the homeowners could see me. I crouched down and covered my ears and closed my eyes. Why was this happening? Why did this have to happen to me? When would it stop? Someone then grabbed my arms and I jerked back. "No!" I shouted. "Robin! Robin! It's me!" I opened my eyes and saw Benny. He looked at me with a horrified expression. "What happened?" I couldn't speak. I opened my mouth but nothing came out. He waited for an answer but I shook my head. I didn't want to tell him. "Come on, I'll take you to my place." He tried to pull me up but I stayed put. "Benny no, I don't want to bring you into this." He stopped pulling and looked down at me. "Robin, look at yourself! Your lip is bleeding, your shirt is ripped, and you're shaking like a leaf!" Man, I must have looked pathetic. But I had to keep him away, what if Tony did the same stuff to him that he did to me? "Benny you'll get hurt!" But he didn't let go, "Robin, tell me what's going on." I then heard movement and my heart started pounding. We both turned our heads and saw a rabbit passing through. I sighed and relaxed a little. "I can't go back home, it's not safe. You should go home, I don't want you to get hurt or involve your folks with my problems." He shook his head again, "I'm not leaving you like this. Look, I'll sneak you in my room that way my family doesn't see you. No one knows you're with me, we'll be fine." There was no use of talking him out of it. "Okay,"

Before I knew it I was sitting on Benny's bed waiting for him. My fists were clenched and my legs were bobbing up and down. My nerves were still on edge and the thought of ever going back inside that house made my stomach churn. The door slowly opened and I froze. Benny walked in with a few things in his arms and smiled at me. "Sorry I took so long, I had to sneak around since my parents were still up." He closed the door behind him as I slowly stood up and walked over to help him. "It's okay, I got it. Go sit back down." I did as he said as he dropped all the stuff on his bed. "So are you gonna tell me what happened or you gonna leave me in the dark again?" I then felt bad, for obvious reasons, but also for not telling him. For not telling any of the guys! "Can you promise me something? Something really important?" I stuck out my hand. He looked at my hand and then back at me. "What is it?" What I was about to do was personal. I only ever did this with my parents. "Can you promise not to tell anyone UNLESS I tell you it's okay?" He continued to stare at me. "Please don't grab my hand unless you intend to keep your word." Without hesitation, he grabbed my hand and I pulled our hands together on my chest. "What are you doing?" He asked in a quiet panicked voice. I gripped his hand a little tighter and leaned in, "You keep your word which lies on your heart. You bring it in to seal the deal because it's sacred." He slowly nodded his head and then did the same. I could feel his heartbeat which was going pretty fast. "Okay, I promise."

I then let go of his hand. "My Mom's out of town cause my Grandad's in the hospital and while this is all happening my Mom's boyfriend is a creep….a creep who can't keep his hands to himself." I then gestured to myself, "That's what you're seeing here." He just stared at me in disbelief. "What are you gonna do?" That was a good question since I was still trying to find the answer to it. "I don't know. The only people that know are you, me, and….Mr. Mertle!" I said as I jumped up but then quickly winced since I was still in pain. "I can tell him and he'll be able to help me." He patted my shoulder and lightly pushed me back on the bed. "Are you sure? Don't get me wrong, he's a cool guy and all but can you trust him?" I thought for a moment and then nodded my head. He managed to listen to every single detail about what was happening to me and didn't tell anyone. "Yes, I can." He grabbed a bottle of coke and passed it to me. "Alright, if you can then I will too." I took it as he grabbed one for himself. We both popped them open and clinked them together. I took a few sips and watched him. I owed him, big time. "Benny," He had gone halfway through the bottle before putting it down. "Yeah?" I gave him a small smile. "Thank you." I don't think he realized how much he just did for me. It might not have seemed like a lot, but it meant everything and more. He nervously looked around as if looking for someone to help him out. "So, what happens now?" I quickly asked so I could change the subject for him. "Oh yeah, so I already got a sleeping bag underneath the bed." I nodded my head. "Thanks, I'll set it up now." He shook his head, "No way, you can take my bed." I was gonna argue with him but when I reached for the bag, I did it a little too fast and suddenly the room started moving around. "Woah." He helped me back down on the bed. "What's wrong?" He asked frantically. "I um didn't exactly eat today. Kind of got kicked out of my house." He then picked up some jerky and gave it to me. "Here, I grabbed some while I was out there. I can grab more stuff for you if you want." I shook my head, "Nah, don't worry about it. Thank you though."

It was probably an hour later and I was staring up at the ceiling, waiting. I tapped my fingers onto my stomach and sighed heavily. "Having a hard time sleeping?" I heard from the floor. I turned on my side and peaked over the edge of the bed. "Yeah," He nodded his head. "Same here." I stared at him not sure what else to do. But then I had an idea, "Hey, wanna play never have I ever?"

Translations:

Chamacos - kids/boys (depending on how you use it)

Puta - slut/bitch (depends again)


	12. Chapter 12

Hey readers, sorry this update took a little longer. The world is getting more complicated very quickly and it's getting harder to deal with. But who ever said living through a historical moment would be simple? I hope you all are well and staying home. Please remember that I don't own The Sandlot or any of the original characters. Enjoy!

**The Jet and the Bird **

We both were sitting on the floor with a flashlight on and our hands in the air. "Never have I ever have thrown up on a carnival ride." He scoffed while putting down a finger. I couldn't help but smirk. "Never have I ever put a bow in my hair." I couldn't help but roll my eyes. I put down a finger while shaking my head. "Give me a break," I said with a smile. "Never have I ever peed standing up." He gave me a sour look "Like that's any better!" I giggled but shushed him since he was being a little loud. "Cool it, I don't want your parents to know I'm here." He sighed while shaking his head. "My mom would kill me if she found out I had a girl in my room," He then looked me up and down. "You might be okay." I gawked at him, "Oh yeah?" He threw his hands in the air, "All I'm saying is that if you were to tuck all your hair in.." He then reached underneath his bed and pulled out a cap and threw it at me. "...a hat. She might think you're a boy." I grabbed my hair and rolled it up as best as I could and then put on the cap. I tucked in all the loose hairs and struck a 'manly' pose. "Yeah?" I asked him. He then looked me up and down. "Yeah, maybe." We both chuckled. "Never have I ever been mistaken for a boy." I gave him a light shove and put down a finger.

"Never have I ever…" I then had to stop and think. What could I say? After all, I didn't know too much about him. "Robin," I looked over at him. "What do you think is gonna happen when you tell your folks?" I lowered my hands onto my lap. In all honesty, I didn't want to think about that stuff, but I knew I had to. "I don't know. My Mom will probably be upset, she'll break up with him. Then she'll tell my Dad and he'll get upset too. So upset that we might just-" I stopped myself. "Move back?" He finished for me. I nodded my head. It then got quiet. "Do you want to move back?" It wouldn't be hard to. I could go back to my old friends and see my cousins again. I would be able to see my Dad every day again. "No, I like being here. I like playing ball every day. I enjoy the talks with Mr. Mertle and I like seeing you guys all the time." I looked back at him. "Don't get me wrong, Brooklyn will always be home, but I can see this being home for me too." We both sighed at the same time. "The guys would miss you." I couldn't help but smile. "Oh yeah? What do you know, Jet?" He shrugged. "It's not hard to tell. I could hear you talking to Tommy that one night we camped. I saw you a couple of weeks ago with Squints. And the other day I caught you helping Ham and his mom with the groceries." I was surprised, I didn't think anyone was keeping an eye on me. "You want to know what all those three had in common?" I shrugged. "I don't know, what are you getting at?" He looked at me with disbelief. "You're kidding, right? You've got to be blind if you didn't see those goofy smiles on their faces." I was confused. "So what if they were smiling? We're all friends here, nothing special about having some fun." He shook his head slowly. "Robin, after your little talk with Tommy he's been an open book. He speaks a lot more on his own now." He then straightened himself up. "Squints has been talking non-stop about women's history and the importance of equality. He's even combed his hair a lot more!" Had he been talking about that stuff? I hadn't noticed. "And Ham has told me that he's been thinking about joining the wrestling team when we go back to school. All of this didn't come out of nowhere. I know it's not just them but everyone seems to be a lot more..happier than before. Not like jumping with joy but more mature. So, of course, they would miss you." I just stared at him, what was I gonna say to all of that? "All of this shit that's happening to you right now, you don't deserve it."

I stayed quiet and I got that weird feeling in my stomach again. For some reason I couldn't look up at him, I felt….embarrassed? It was confusing. "Sorry if I said too much." I quickly looked up and shook my head. "No! It's just that I didn't expect that. It was sweet." He patted my shoulder, "Anytime," We then awkwardly looked at each other and I couldn't help but giggle. He then started laughing and somehow we both ended up rolling on the floor laughing as quietly as we could. "You're too much, Robin."

There was a knock on the door and I opened my eyes. "Benjamin!" A woman's voice called out on the other side of the door. I then shot up. The sun was out and the birds were chirping. I looked over and saw Benny still sleeping next to me. We must have fallen asleep on the floor when it got late, although I don't remember what time. "Breakfast is ready!" I then shook him hoping he would wake up. "Hm?" He sleepily said as the door handle jiggled. "Don't make me come in there and wake you up!" His eyes widened and he quickly sat up. "Ya voy!" He called out. We then heard her walk away and we both sighed with relief. "So what's the plan now?" I whispered to him. He looked around frantically, "Get underneath the bed." Not what I had in mind. "And then?" He jumped up and opened his closet door. "I can't promise you that my brothers won't come in here. You gotta hide while I go have breakfast. I'll bring you some when I'm done." He then took off his shirt and I quickly looked away. I rolled up the sleeping bag and shoved it underneath the bed. I then lied down on my stomach and slid under as well. It was a tight squeeze but it worked. He then pulled the sheets to cover the side of the bed to hide me better. "I'll try to be fast." He whispered right before leaving.

Since I had nothing better to do so I looked around me. There was a baseball, a few cards, a lone sock, a little Fred Flinstone action figure, and a book. I reached over and grabbed the book. It was black and small and it didn't have a title. It was strange but intriguing. I opened it and the first page had a doodle of a baseball. I couldn't help but snort, of course, he would do something like this. I then turned the page and realized what I was holding. It was a journal. There were dates on the upper right-hand corner and I flipped through the pages. He had about thirty pages to go before it was full and every single one of those pages was filled. The last page was dated a week ago. It read:

Dear Journal,

It's me again. I had a weird dream last night, a really weird dream. I was standing in the center of a ballpark. Standing around me were

the guys. They were all smiling at me and clapping like I just did something amazing. Then they all sort of just vanished before I could say

something to them. When I looked for them I was suddenly in a whole other place! It looked like a bar but I couldn't really tell. I was

sitting down in a chair and there was a stage right in front of me that had a spotlight on someone. I couldn't see who it was because when

I tried to stand up I somehow fell down. I was laying down and looking up at the stars. When I tried to get up I started floating. I was

floating and all the stars started dancing around me. My heart then started to feel full. It felt so full that I thought it was going to fall out

of my chest! That's when I woke up. I don't know what it means but I have a feeling like I won't ever forget it. Tia Rosa says that dreams

are a way the universe speaks to us. I'm not really sure if I believe that, but it did feel like a message. I just don't know what it means. I

wonder if this is a part of puberty? Like what's happening with Robin. I think I have a crush on her. My hands get real sweaty when she's

around and my stomach does this weird thing. I didn't really care for girls before, like they're pretty and all but I really like this one. I

think about her a lot but I don't know what to do. I'll probably figure it out like I usually do. I just hope that when I do I don't mess things

up. You know, since we're all friends. I gotta go, Mom's calling me for dinner. Get back to you later.

I slowly closed the journal and pushed it away from me. My heart was beating fast and my face felt warm. I knew I shouldn't have read it but I couldn't help myself. But in all honesty, I wasn't worried about that now, the fact is that Benny likes me. I felt a smile form on my face and I let out a quiet squeal. This was….amazing! I mean, I should have seen this coming since he did take me on a date not too long ago. But no boy has ever liked me before. I was considered weird since I played sports and read comics. I mean I did wear dresses and bows and stuff, I wasn't anti-feminine or anything, but Mom always did say I dress like a boy. But who cares! Benny likes me! "Benny! Where did you put my cleats!?" Someone then opened the door and I flinched. I saw a figure rummaging around his room and tried to stay still. "Hey! Why don't you knock?" I heard Benny say. "You weren't in here. What else was I supposed to do?" I then heard footsteps coming my way. "Maybe they're under the bed?" Panic set in and I held my breath. "No! They're over here." I saw the figure turn around. "You okay? You're acting kind of funny?" Uh oh. "Yeah, I just have to hurry. I've got stuff to do." I watched as the figures walked out the door and I exhaled. That was close. I let my head fall onto the floor with a light 'thud' and closed my eyes. I heard footsteps approaching me and saw the covers pulled back. "We're in the clear." I turned my head and saw that smile. Little did he know we weren't just yet.

Translations:

Ya voy - I'm going


	13. Chapter 13

**Attention Readers: **This chapter discusses race issues that were occurring during this time. If anyone is triggered by this skip the second long paragraph. Although, I think it's important to read it. Even though this story and movie are fiction, the events that do happen in it are not. Even in this day and age. Times have changed and things are getting better, but it's still not perfect. I know it may never be perfect, but it doesn't hurt to just be nice to people. Treat each other kindly, especially in these trying times.

Also, after this chapter there are going to be some changes. All good things, so don't worry! Expect the next chapter to be long.

**A Serious Talk**

Benny and I had gone over to Mr. Mertle's and I told him everything. Thankfully he was very patient and listened to the whole thing without interrupting or jumping to conclusions. He wanted me to use his phone to call my mom. He said that I should do that before I go back to the house, which I wasn't going to do alone. He was going to accompany me along with Hercules for protection, which made me feel so much better.

I was just about to reach for the phone but hesitated. I was scared. "Wait, Mr. Mertle, are you sure we can't call the police?" I looked over at the old man and he sighed. "Kids, come sit down." He gestured to the chairs and Benny and I sat down. "I'm going to tell you something that my father told me when I was around your age." He took a breath as if this was going to be painful. "What do you think is the first thing people notice about you?" Benny and I looked at each other and I could tell he was just as confused as I was. "That I dress like a boy?" Which wasn't a lie, I had plenty of women tell me to 'go back home and change appropriately' but I always ignored them. "Oh really? Well, besides that." I had never bothered to mention to Mr. Mertle about my fashion sense since it never seemed important enough to me. "You two and Kenny seem to have something in common. I've heard you guys whisper it sometimes when you didn't think I or the other boys could hear." I thought and realized that he was referring to when we would speak Spanish to each other. "You could hear us?" I asked out loud. "Yes Ma'am," My parents had taught me to limit my Spanish when I would go out in public. People would tend to get upset when they would hear us speak it. A lot of people didn't seem to be happy when seeing people like us-oh… That's what he means. "It's because we're Latino, isn't it?" Benny then nodded his head slowly. "Cause I'm a 'greaseball', you're a 'spick', and Kenny is a 'brownie'." He said it with such disgust and I couldn't blame him. The first time I heard a man call my mom a 'wetback' I wanted to punch him in the face. But I couldn't. "Unfortunately, for people like us, the minorities, we can't rely on the police." I looked at Mr. Mertle and I felt bad. How did he manage all on his own? How could he trust anyone? I know if I were in his shoes I wouldn't. "I was hoping that by the time I became an old man this would all stop. Because when I was a boy, I couldn't go anywhere without someone calling me awful things. When I turned twenty I was jumped by a group of men because I was walking to the store. When I first got into baseball no one wanted to play with me because I was 'dirty'." Benny then shot up. "This is stupid! It's not even us kids doing all of this, it's the grown-ups! Why can't things be easier!?" He was clenching his fists and his face was red. I had never seen him so angry. "Young man, come here." He said with a stern voice. Benny slowly made his way over to Mr. Mertle. "I know you're angry. I know what it's like to want to let out all of that feeling onto the world, believe me. I have several generations behind me who knew nothing but struggle. A cry that I can't calm." He then reached out and felt his way up to his arm and on top of his shoulder. "But we have to keep going. They want us to fail. I had so many people rooting for my failures and rub it in like salt to a wound. You lose control and try to harm them, they win. Now I see talent in you, a talent that isn't in just anyone. That's important since it's coming from someone who can't see anymore." I couldn't help but smile. "You keep playing ball. I had so many people tell me that I couldn't and I'm sure you'll have those too. But keep on. That's how you'll win."

After he finished up I called my mother. About halfway she started yelling on the other line. She was furious with Tony and wanted to kill him. She made it very clear that she was coming home immediately and was going to kick his ass. I felt so relieved. She instructed me not to go back to the house alone and I assured her that I wouldn't. She apologized over and over and I tried to convince her it wasn't her fault. Afterward we three had discussed what our next move was. We agreed that I shouldn't stay at the house alone.

I made sure to triple lock the door. I made sure both locks were tight and had propped up a chair underneath the doorknob. Mr. Mertle had cleared the house with me and made sure no one was here. He told me to not open the door for anyone and if something happened to call him. He also left Hercules with me for extra protection. I had turned off all the lights, made sure all the curtains covered the windows, and locked my door. I crawled into bed and patted on the mattress. "Come here," Hercules climbed up and lied down on top of the sheets. I scratched behind both of his ears and kissed the top of his head. "Good boy," I reached over and turned off the lamp. I pulled up the sheets and slipped in.

What a day.

I knew what Mom was going to do when she got back. I knew she was going to have a long talk with me and that there was going to be some more changes. How much more change could I possibly take? I didn't think life could get this complicated so early. I'm just a kid, what the hell is gonna happen when I'm a teenager? Or an adult? Yikes, I might be in for quite a ride.


	14. Chapter 14

Hello readers, so the story is going to be switching up now. In this chapter and the next few chapters there is a time skip. So the whole gang are now teenagers! Let's see what they're all up to. Enjoy!

**La Danza**

TIME SKIP - 4 YEARS

I caught the ball and Bertram groaned. "You gotta do better than that, B!" I said to him as I threw the ball back to Kenny. "Hold on, I've got this." He replied with a smirk. I nodded to Kenny and he threw the ball back, Bertram hit it and made a run for it. I watched him make it to second base as Tommy made it to the home base. I looked down at my watch and quickly stood up. "Hey! Yeah-Yeah! We gotta go!" He nodded his head and made his way over to me. A few weeks ago Yeah-Yeah came to me asking for help. His little sister, Gia, was turning 13 and they were throwing a huge party for her. He asked if I could perform there and also be his plus one. I agreed since they didn't have any other source of entertainment. I took off the helmet and threw it to Ham as he approached me. "Thanks, Ham," I patted him on the shoulder as Yeah-Yeah appeared. "You should get a watch," I said to him as I smacked the back of the head. "Yeah-yeah but that's why I keep you around." He said with a smile. I rolled my eyes. We said our goodbyes to the boys and raced to his house. When we got inside all of his cousins were running all over the place. "Mamma!" He called out. She was in the kitchen trying to help her youngest daughter, Bella, put on her bow. "Finally! Where were you two?" She asked as she walked towards us. We both looked at each other, we were covered in dirt and sweat. Wasn't it obvious? We then looked back at her and she grabbed both of our arms. "You both need to shower up!" She pulled us down the hallway while saying that we needed to hurry.

Even though I was perfectly capable of getting ready, his mother and aunts insisted on helping me. I had Mamma Angelica fixing my hair, his Aunt Irene helping me dress, and his Aunt Matilda spraying me with perfume. They were all yelling at each other all while instructing me as they worked their magic.

After an hour I was ready; I wore a light blue babydoll dress that stopped mid-thigh. The sleeves were translucent and the cuffs were a little frilly. My hair was lightly curled and pulled in a half updo with a white bow. "Bellissima," Mamma Angelica said as she brushed out my hair. She then took a step back and looked down at my dress. "Maybe too short?" She then grabbed the hem and gently tugged on it. "I've got my white spandex shorts on, I think I'll be okay." She nodded her head and clapped her hands together. "Yes, let's get going! You need to set up and I need to gather the kids." She pushed me out the door and started yelling names. "You and Alan take the car and we'll meet you there." She said as she handed me the keys. "You want us to take Bella?" I asked while trying to find Yeah-Yeah. "Please!" She said as she ran off. "Yeah-Yeah!" I called out as I walked around. I found Bella and grabbed her hand. "Come on, Mamma said you have to come with us." Her big brown eyes looked up at me and that cute little smile came right after. She looked an awful lot like Yeah-Yeah, but cuter. "Okay, are we going to the party?" I nodded my head as we walked towards the front door. "Yes, and we need to hurry." That's when Yeah-Yeah ran into me. "Hey! Where were you?" I asked as he walked past us. He was wearing a mustard yellow suit and had his hair combed back. "Looking for my shoes." I turned back around, "Outside?" He was looking behind the couch and in between the cushions. "It's a long story." I looked at the clock and saw that we had to hurry. "Well move it cause we're gonna be late and you're driving!" He jumped up with a smile. "She's letting me drive?" I then gave him a look. "Yeah-yeah, I'll be fast."

Before I knew it I was on stage helping set up the equipment with my band, The Melting Pot. There was Henry on bass, Gabriel on drums, Joanna on guitar, and Luke on keyboard. I met them all through school and found out about their common talents. "Robin, I just dropped my earring!" Joanna said as she got down on the floor. She had light brown hair in a pixie cut and had these fierce golden eyes. She wore a bright orange tent dress that complimented her well. I started looking around the ground for the white hoop. "Found it!" Henry said as he lifted it. He wore a salmon suit and had a smile that would light up any room. Joanna jumped up and ran over to him. "Lifesaver, I owe you a soda!" She said as she kissed his cheek. "Which song do they want to open with?" Luke asked out loud. He wore a brown suit and had curly blond hair. "That's life," I answered as I set up the mic. "Ooooh, I like that one," Gabriel added. He wore a forest green suit and had his sunglasses on. "Check your mics!" I tapped on mine and heard it echo. I heard the collected taps behind me and I gave them a thumbs up. I watched as people were setting up on the floor and saw Yeah-Yeah heading towards me. "Remember, you're my dance partner on the mambo." I then raised an eyebrow and cocked my head, "I wouldn't forget it for the world, just remember your footwork."

Everything was set up and the spotlight was on me. "Ladies and gentlemen, let's give a round of applause to the birthday girl!" Everyone started clapping and cheering as the spotlight was on Gia as she was seated in the center table along with her immediate family. "Buon compleanno Giovanna!" Everyone then started to sing 'happy birthday' as they brought the cake out for her. When they placed it down in front of her she was smiling and proceeded to blow out the candles. I then turned around and gave Henry and Joanna the signal.

\- That's life! _That's life_

That's what all the people say.

You're riding high in April, shot down in May

But I know I'm gonna change that tune

When I'm back on top, back on top in June

I said, that's life, _That's life_

and as funny as it may seem

Some people get their kicks, stomping on a dream

But I don't let it, let it get me down

Cause this fine old world it keeps spinning around." -

People started getting on the dance floor. I watched as Mamma Angelica made Yeah-Yeah dance with Gia and to my delight he hated it. When he looked over to me for help I gave him a wink. Both he and his sister didn't exactly get along. I found it hilarious, he on the other hand disagreed. I sang a few more songs and saw that not many people were still dancing. I turned around and gestured for Joanna to come over. She shimmied her way to me and leaned down. "Mambo?" She asked. I nodded my head. She smiled while putting down her guitar. What most people didn't know was that Joanna had a powerhouse of a voice. Especially for this Rosemary Clooney song, it also helped that she was Italian. I placed the mic back on the stand and tapped it lightly. "Attention everyone, this next song is for everyone who loves to dance! Joanna will be the vocalist! Dai! To the dance floor!"

I quickly slipped off the stage and ran over to Yeah-Yeah. "Let's go!" I shouted as I grabbed his hand and pulled him to the dance floor.

\- A girl went back to Napoli

Because she missed the scenery

The native dances and the charming songs

But wait a minute, something's wrong -

I grabbed his hand and placed it on my upper back and then I placed my hand on his shoulder. I grabbed his other hand and positioned us for our number. We had worked on this for weeks! He wasn't a bad dancer, it's just that he tended to step on my feet. I looked at him and gave him a nod. "Ready?" He hesitated but straightened up. "Yeah-yeah, just don't mess up, alright?" I gave him a final smirk before the music picked up.

\- Hey mambo, mambo italiano

Hey mambo, mambo italiano

Go, go, go you mixed up siciliano

All you calabrese do the mambo like a crazy with a

Hey mambo, don't wanna tarantella

Hey mambo, no more mozzarella

Hey mambo, mambo italiano -

We started dancing to the beat with smiles and I could tell he had relaxed. He spun me around and I couldn't help but giggle. Plenty of his relatives had joined the floor and grooved their way around us. "Did I mention that you look awfully pretty?" He asked as we continued. "Finally! I was waiting on that compliment. You don't look too bad yourself, kid. That color brings out your eyes." He then gave me a look. "I'm serious Yeah-Yeah! Any girl would fall for a fellow like you!" He had us circle so we could say hi to his mother.

\- Shake-a baby, shake-a cause I love a when you take me -

As the song started to end he began to spin me round and round and round. Everything around me started to blur and my stomach started to get butterflies.

\- Mambo italiano! -

He then stopped and I lost my balance and fell back, luckily for me though he had caught me. "Don't say I've never done anything for you!" He said with a smirk. I rolled my eyes and pushed his face. "Yeah right!" We both laughed and got off the dance floor.

When the party was over I helped everyone pack up the equipment. "You wouldn't believe how much I ate!" Luke shouted as we were carrying the stuff to the van. "Oh yeah? Did you see how many people requested us? We're gonna get so much money that our pockets are gonna overfill!" Gabriel added. Mamma Angelica made her way over to us with bags of food. "Thank you, thank you for performing, guys! You were all magnifico!" We all took a bag as she hugged us one by one. "Are you sure you don't want us to pay you?" We all shook our heads and told her no. The moment I told them about this gig they wanted food instead of dollar bills. Yeah-Yeah's mother was notorious for her cooking skills. But also I was doing this for a friend and didn't want to charge him or his family. Yeah-Yeah walked over to us, "Yeah-yeah, thank you, guys. You need a ride home, Robin?" I gave him a nod considering the van was full and I didn't want them to drop me off since I lived far from them. I found myself back in the car with Yeah-Yeah and Bella in the back asleep. It was quiet and I was fighting the urge of falling asleep. "Hey, Robin, I have a question," I yawned and shook my head to wake up. "What is it?" I asked him. "Whatever happened to you and…?" Oh boy, here we go. "I don't know." I lied. "Really? You don't know anything? At all?" He pressed on. "Is this why you wanted to drive me home?" I asked him. "No, it's just, things are different now." Things were different. That first summer so much happened, but when school came along things changed. His first love took over and I didn't want to get in the way. "What exactly did you see?" I asked while turning towards him. "It was pretty obvious you and Benny liked each other. But nothing happened, at least from what I saw. That's why I'm asking you." He then pulled up to my house. "It is what it is. I'm not gonna beg for that kid's attention, not like those other girls. I think it's pretty obvious that there's no use because his love for baseball will always be his priority. I can't blame him or be mad at him for it." It then got quiet. "I didn't mean any harm, I just wanted to know." I nodded my head and patted him on the shoulder. "It's alright," He then smiled at me. "Thanks for everything." I nodded my head and leaned over to kiss his cheek. "It's no problem, make sure to tell Mamma I appreciate the food." I grabbed the bag and opened the door. "Yeah-yeah, no problem. See ya tomorrow."

Translations:

La Danza - The Dance

Buon compleanno - Happy birthday

Dai - Come on

Magnifico - magnificent

**Songs used in the chapter (I do not own any of these songs):**

That's Life by Frank Sinatra

Mambo Italiano by Rosemary Clooney


	15. Chapter 15

Today marks the 27th Anniversary of The Sandlot! Go watch the movie and relive that childhood nostalgia. The 90's were amazing, so for all you 90's babies out there, pour one out for this classic film. Maybe make some smores and toss a baseball around. Drop down your favorite quote from the film, I'll start: You're killin me Smalls!

**Kenny Bo Benny**

I made sure to wake up bright and early to go grab Kenny. His family, like a majority of the others in our gang, were well acquainted with me. So they had no issue with me barging in his room chanting our little song:

"Kenny, Kenny bo benny! Banana fana fo fenny! Fee fi mo menny! Kenny!"

I started to jump around while singing the song and he grabbed the pillow and pulled it over his head. I walked over and yanked it back while singing a little louder. He didn't budge, he just pulled the covers over him and groaned loudly. "Come on Kenny! You said that you wanted to go EARLY! Well, it's 7:30 and the clock is ticking!" He proceeded to flip me off as his sisters, Sasha and Carmen, came in and joined me:

"Kenny, Kenny bo benny! Banana fana fo fenny! Fee fi mo menny! Kenny!"

He quickly sat up and gave us all one of his famous dirty looks. "Yo no estoy tripeando!" He then threw his pillow at us and I couldn't help but laugh. "Neither am I! Let's hustle, kid!"

It took me an hour to get him out of his house. Every once in awhile Kenny and I would go to the pet shop and help the owner, Mr. Irwin, feed the animals. "How did the party go last night?" He asked as we walked down the street. "It was great! Lots of food, plenty of dancing, and I even took a few sips of wine." I said with a wink. "Yeah-Yeah step on your toes?" I then gasped, "Surprisingly, no! He did an amazing job. It almost brought a tear to my eye." We both laughed as he shoved me away. "Yeah, right. How long do you think you're gonna be doing covers?" I had that same question in the back of my mind constantly. I had never written music before. I was so used to singing other people's songs that writing my own didn't seem like a priority. "I don't know. How long do you think?" He then gave me a "really" look. "You're gonna answer my question with a question?" I placed my hands on my hips. "I did give you an answer!" He groaned. "An 'I don't know' is a shitty answer. But you should probably start writing music as soon as possible. Are you gonna be doing this for the rest of your life?" I stopped dead in my tracks. Huh, was I? "Yes, at least I think so." I continued walking. "Say it with confidence, jeva!" I puffed out my chest and deepened my voice, "Yes, I think so!" We both looked at each other and cracked up.

When we arrived Mr. Irwin was taking out the dog food. "Morning kiddos!" He said as we rushed towards him. "Morning," We chimed as Kenny grabbed the giant bag and I grabbed the bowls off the counter. "You guys feed the pups while I'll take care of the fish." Kenny poured as I shuffled the bowls around. Once we got that done we grabbed the bowls and brought them over to the puppies. They were yapping up a storm as we set their food in the play pin. We then started getting to the other animals. When we were done we visited with Mr. Irwin for a bit.

Afterward, we went to go get some ice cream because, for some odd reason, I was craving it. "Chocolate chip, right?" I asked him before ordering. "You know it." He replied while fishing in his pocket. "It's okay, I got it, Kenny," I reassured him. "I'll have two chocolate chip single scoop cones, please." I paid and they gave us our frozen treats. I looked down at my watch and then back at him. "Let's head to the sandlot."

As we walked to our familiar territory and ate our ice cream he gave me a weird look. "What?" I asked, wondering what he was thinking. "Have you noticed how much we've all changed?" I didn't understand him. "Physically or ?" I left half in the air. "Both, I guess." He replied. I shrugged. "Yeah, I'm not blind. I've seen how much we all have changed. That's just growing up though, right?" He shook his head. "I don't know. Don't you think it's kinda sad? In a couple of years, we're all gonna be going our separate ways, living our lives and all we'll have to remember it is an empty lot full of sand." I stopped walking and just stared at him in disbelief. "Aren't you just a ray of sunshine today?" He raised an eyebrow. "You can't say that you don't think about that stuff." I shook my head, "I try not to. What's got you so down in the dumps?" He didn't say anything. "What do you know, Kenny?" He shrugged. "I just got a bad feeling, that's all." I straightened myself and marched over to him. "Kenny bo benny, you aren't allowed to feel blue when you've got an ice cream cone in your hand!" He gave me a small smile and shook his head. "You're weird, jeva." I stuck my tongue out at him and giggled. "Yeah, well it beats being normal." I skipped away from him and was suddenly hit with an awful feeling in between my legs.

My eyes widened and I stood completely still. Oh shit. Kenny walked past me like nothing. "If you say so." I quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "What?" He asked. "Can you do me a favor?" He raised his eyebrows. "Uhh okay?" I then pulled him in and whispered: "Can you check the back of my pants?" He pulled away and immediately got behind me. "Um, yeah, it's not too bad, but it's noticeable." I smacked my forehead and groaned. Of course, this would have to happen right now. "It's a week early!" He looked around to make sure no one could see me. "You want me to run back home quickly and grab my jacket and maybe a pad or two?" I nodded my head. "Please!" He raced away and I sat down on the curb feeling like a complete idiot. I should have known this would have happened. "Stupid, stupid, stupid," I muttered to myself as I finished my ice cream. I counted the minutes until I saw him running back. Relief washed over me as he handed me my jacket and a small backpack. "Here...ya….go." He panted out. I took it with gratitude and wrapped the jacket around my waist and slipped on the backpack. "Thank you, Kenny!" I stood up on my tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "Don't feel bad, Robin. This isn't the worst I've ever seen." He said as he wrapped his arm around me and pulled me along. "Really?" I asked looking up at him. He nodded his head. "Really. There was this one time that Sasha had managed to get it all over her pants, back of the shirt and her backpack." I gasped. "In school." I covered my mouth in horror. "Yeah, it was bad." I had to admit though, it did make me feel better. "Kenny, Kenny bo benny. Banana fana fo fenny. Fee fi mo menny. Kenny." We sang in unison. "Robin, Robin bo bobin. Banana fana fo fobin. Fee fi mo mobin. Robin."

"Are you even gonna be able to play?" He asked as we were pretty close. "Yeah, I'll probably just be in the outfield today." As we approached we noticed Benny was there. "Well look who decided to show up." He was just as surprised as I was. Benny didn't show up as frequently anymore because he was either working out with his baseball buddies or doing other things. Throughout the school year, I always made an effort to go see him play. I did that with everyone though, not specifically with baseball but whatever they were in. The whole gang played baseball, it was more for fun. Ham was really into wrestling, Smalls was in the chess club, Timmy was on the debate team, etc. The only one who would've made the baseball team besides Benny is Kenny. But for complicated reasons, stupid reasons, he couldn't. Kenny let go of me and jogged ahead to go greet the Jet. "Long time no see!" He said with a smile while grabbing Benny's hand. "I'm here now, let's play some ball!" His eyes found mine and I gave him a nod. He stared at me before running to the home base.

After we played we all went to visit Mr. Mertle and Hercules. Once all of that was done I headed home. "Robin!" Kenny called to me from behind. I turned around and realized he probably wanted his stuff back. "Sorry, I forgot," I said as I proceeded to take it off. "No! It's okay, keep it for now. I don't mind. I just wanted to say thanks for this morning." I was confused. "For the ice cream?" He chuckled. "No, getting my butt up. I know I was all cranky but I appreciate it." I didn't expect him to be thanking me for this. It was sweet. "It's no problem, Kenny. I'd do it all over again just to see that annoyed look on your face when I sing our song." We both laughed. "See ya tomorrow!" He ran home and I watched him with a small smile on my face. _In a couple of years, we're all gonna be going our separate ways, living our lives and all we'll have to remember it is an empty lot full of sand. _

I shook my head. "I'm not letting any of you guys go. You're all stuck with me."

Translations:

Yo no estoy - I am not

Tripeando - joking around (fun fact: this is a Dominican word. I wanted to incorporate some dominican spanish in here to make it more realistic. Since Kenny's last name is DeNunez, which is a latino last name, I wanted to create a whole background for him since they didn't do that in the movie. Robin's Puerto Rican, Benny's Cuban, and Kenny is Dominican. One big ol' Latino familia!)

Jeva - girl (informal way in dominican slang)

**Songs used in the chapter (I do not own this song):**

The Name Game by Shirley Ellis (I know I didn't technically use it, but I did reference it)


	16. Chapter 16

**Terrible News From The Lovable Two**

I woke up to the smell of bacon. Lots and lots of bacon. That only meant one thing. I immediately jumped out of bed and opened the door to race to the kitchen. That's when I ran into someone, "What's the rush, kiddo?" He said with a raised eyebrow. "Abuelito!" I wrapped my arms around him and gave him a big squeeze. He chuckled and hugged me back. "Oh goodness! What is your mother feeding you? Every time I see you you're bigger and bigger." I pulled back and he cupped my face. "What gave away I was here?" I scoffed while rolling my eyes. "Really? The bacon!"

After Abuelito had his heart attack, things changed very quickly. Recovery wasn't easy and it wasn't immediate, but he was always strong. He'd come to visit every few months, along with Abuelita, of course, and always bring back goods. "Your grandparents decided to come in earlier than expected, but luckily for them, I was in a good mood." Mom said while swatting Abuelito on the butt with the newspaper. "You mean WE were in a good mood," Dad added right before he grabbed the paper and gave Mom a peck on the cheek. After the whole ex-boyfriend incident, Dad moved over here. He and Mom reconciled and got back together. I felt someone tug my hair and I turned around. "No hug for your Grandma?" She had said with her hands on her hips. I threw my arms around her and pulled her in for a squeeze. "Of course a hug for you!" I kissed her cheek and swayed with her. "This is why you're my favorite grandbaby!" I pulled away and chuckled. "I'm your only grandbaby." She gave me a smile with raised eyebrows. "Yes…" Her eyes drifted behind me; I then turned around to see Mom shaking her head with her hand covering her face. "No way!" I shouted putting the pieces together. Dad smiled at me. "I didn't say anything wrong!" Abuelita shouted. "No, but you weren't so convincing, Mother!" I looked at everyone with wide eyes. Was this real? "You're pregnant!?" Mom smiled at me while wincing. "Surprise, Mamas." I then looked back at my grandparents. "Traitors!" I shouted at them. "We didn't find out until a month ago!" They both said. "A month!?" I looked back at Mom and pointed at her stomach. "It's been in there for a month?" She scoffed. "Technically a month and a half." She lifted her shirt and sure enough, there was a bump growing. "No wonder you've been eating so much." Her eyes widened in horror and Dad cracked up.

There was a knock on the front door before it opened up. "Hamilton The Babe Porter has entered!" He made his way into the kitchen. He looked around and shrugged. "Did you finally tell her, Ma?" I whipped my head around so fast I almost gave myself whiplash. "You told Ham before me? Your daughter's friend before your daughter!?" She laughed nervously while grabbing a plate of bacon and setting it on the table. Ham reached for a piece but I quickly smacked his hand. "Traitor!" He backed away from me, "Ow! Abuelita, look at what she did to me. Quick, I need the 'Sana Sana'." I squinted at him, "You're gonna need more than that after I'm finished with you." He stuck his tongue out while my grandmother babied him. It was disgusting. "Do I smell bacon?" Smalls suddenly chimed in with Squints and Kenny by his side. I groaned as I slowly sank to the floor. "This is why we waited, pendeja. I knew you were going to be dramatic!" My Mom shouted as my friends ate bacon around me. "Is Aunt Flo in town?" Squints asked while crouching down. "I'm not asking to be rude, it's just that it's on my calendar and I brought you this." He then offered me a Hershey's bar. I took it and stuck my finger in the air. "It has been established, the only family member that loves me is Squints. The rest you guys are squares!" I then proceeded to open the wrapper. "I'm assuming she didn't take the news well, Mrs. Sanchez?" Smalls asked. I shot up with wide eyes and my teeth bared. The boys screamed in horror as I crawled towards them. "Remember, I'm the one that loves you!" Squints shouted as they cowered behind my grandmother.

Afterward, when I had managed to calm down, we headed to the sandlot. The others were there, including Benny, standing around but they had grim looks on their faces. "What's wrong?" I asked them but they stayed quiet. I looked around to see if anyone was going to give me an answer but no one budged. I walked over to Tommy, "Cough it up, Timmons. It better be good cause I've already gotten some shocking news today and I don't know if I can handle anymore." By now Tommy was talking on his own, so going to him wasn't too much to ask. He looked at me with sad eyes, "We're moving." My heart dropped. I looked over at Timmy and he nodded his head. "Out of state." Wow, if someone walked over and punched me in the gut right now it wouldn't hurt as much as this. I grabbed them both behind their necks and yanked them in for a hug. "You guys….." I couldn't finish. I closed my eyes and squeezed them both as if they were going to disappear at any moment. I pulled away and sighed, "Alright, let's play some ball."

Translations:

Abuelito - Grandfather (with affection)

Abuelita - Grandmother (with affection)

Sana Sana - healthy healthy (fun fact: In Latino culture we got this little remedy called "Sana Sana" which is something you're supposed to do after you get hurt. It goes like this: Sana sana colita de rana…. There's more to it but it's pretty long. Usually a parent or grandparent says this to soothe your pain, like when your mom kisses your boo boo.)

Pendeja - stupid (improper feminine)


	17. Chapter 17

In this chapter there is some drug use mentioned. If you are uncomfortable with this then skip the 4th paragraph. I **do not** own The Sandlot or any of the characters from the movie. **I only own my OC's.** Enjoy!

**Going Away Party **

We all had decided to throw a going-away party for the Timmons brothers. Bertram said we could throw it at his house since his parents were out of town for a convention. Meaning the house would be empty for a few days. I told Ma and Pop that I would be spending the night at Joanna's since I already knew that there was no way in hell they would let me spend the night at any of the guys' house. Since Joanna was an absolute superstar, she came by the house in her van and picked me up. "Have I ever told you that you are the best?" I told her as I shut the door. "It's not that big of a deal, this is me paying you back that one time I 'spent the night at your house' ." I nodded my head and chuckled. I had forgotten about that. She wanted to go sneak off with her boyfriend at the time and needed me as an alibi. "Did you bring the thing I asked for?" I asked while peaking in the back. "It's called a ukulele, and yes." I sank in my seat and sighed. "You're a gem."

As we pulled up I reached in the back and pulled it out. "Make sure to tune it a bit." I nodded my head and grabbed my other things. "Thanks again!" I said as I opened the door. "Tell the boys I said hi." I nodded my head and closed the door. I walked up to the front door and knocked. It only took a moment for Bertram to open up. "Hey, lucky you, you're the first one here." He helped me with my things as I walked inside. "Really? Wow, what jerks." I said with a giggle. "You get first dibs on a sleeping area." I raised my eyebrows. "Oh?" I then sprinted around the house looking for the master bedroom. I had only been inside a couple of times. Bertram's folks kept to themselves and I didn't want to push my luck with them. Once I found it I threw myself on top of the bed. His parents were so….minimalistic. They didn't have many things but on purpose. Their bedroom had a bed, two small nightstands, a dresser and a picture of Jesus. That was it. "I call this room!" I shouted with my face smushed up against the sheets. "Tonight we're gonna party." I lifted my head and turned over. "Oh yeah?" He then lifted a brown lunch bag. "Yeah," He said with a smirk. I got up and walked over to him. "What's this?" I grabbed the bag and opened it up. There were a bunch of cookies in there. "There's more where that came from." I then realized what was so special about this dessert. "You made these?" I asked with wide eyes. "Hell no, my parents would freak! I know a guy. I got some brownies sitting on the counter too." I gave him back the bag. "Man oh man, Bertram, you do wanna party. Ain't nobody leaving tonight." That's when there was a knock on the door.

The rest of the guys showed up and we were sitting on the floor of the living room playing Clue. "The killer is….Professor Plum! He used the candlestick in the library!" Smalls shouted. I groaned because I was off by just one thing, I guessed the dining room instead. Yeah-Yeah laughed maniacally as we threw down our cash. We all bet money, just to make the game more interesting but it wasn't in our favor. I grabbed a slice of pizza waiting for another game to be announced to play. "Anyone up for monopoly?" Smalls asked aloud. "You want us all to be friends still by the end of the night?" Ham sarcastically asked. "How about we just talk?" Tommy asked. It got quiet and the mood quickly changed. "I just wanna talk for a while." He added. We all sat back down around him and waited.

"Ya know, my whole life I was used to being brushed off as the "repeat" because I didn't know how to be anything else. Playing ball helped build my confidence and just being around you guys helped me realize that I am my own person." He glanced over to me and I couldn't help but smile at him. "I'm gonna really miss you guys." His voice quivered at the end and Timmy patted his back. "It's okay, bud." Bertram stood up and walked over to the kitchen. "I think we need these now." He came back to the living room with the brownies, cookies, and cans of beer. He set them down and the boys immediately reached for the sweets. "Woah! Hey, did you at least explain to them that you laced them!" I asked B, "Huh? Oh, yeah, these were made with love." He laughed and I rolled my eyes. "Guys, there's grass in them," I said as I crossed my arms. "Well technically in the brownies, there's something else in the cookies." I watched as they all munched down. Oh boy, this was not gonna end well. "Help yourself, Robin." He said with a smile.

Within an hour the side effects were kicking in. Tommy was still technically talking, but at this point, he was just talking about nonsense. "And that's why I believe we're all originally from the red spot on Jupiter." Yeah-Yeah and Kenny were just laughing at each other. "Are you sure you're not a light skin?" Kenny asked. "Light skin? Haven't you seen how dark I get in the summer? That's all the Italian part of me shining through!" They continued to laugh as if it was the funniest thing in the world. Timmy was arguing with the house plant by the window and Smalls kept looking around the room with wide eyes. "Are you okay?" I asked him while grabbing his face. "You're Hispanic!?" I slowly nodded my head and he gasped. "That's so cool. I always thought you were American." He fell back on the floor and continued to stare at the ceiling. Squints came over and grabbed me. "Robin! Robin!" He shouted. "Yes! What?" I asked. "I need to tell you something! It's an emergency. Life and death!" I nodded my head and tried to calm him down. "I'm gonna ask Wendy to marry me!" My mouth fell open. "You've only gone on three dates with her! And that took forever!" He shook his head. "I'm gonna ask her tonight because I'm in love with her!" I shook my head. "You can't ask her tonight, Squints. You're supposed to stay here for tonight." He looked at me confused. "Well, then I'll ask her tomorrow night. I just need to do it soon! I love her! What part of that don't you understand!?" He continued to shake me. "Alright pal, take it easy and go lay down next to Smalls," Ham said while pulling him off me. "But I love her!" Ham set him down gently, "I know that, bud. No one is denying that, but you gotta settle down." I then stared at Ham. What was wrong with him? He wasn't acting weird like the others. "Why aren't you acting weird?" I asked him. "Because I'm wonderful." He replied. "Do you think they got any more food in the fridge?" He asked. There it was. Even though Ham was still a big boy, his appetite had decreased since he was more athletic now. I looked over and saw Bertram nodding his head. "Yeah man, I'll make us some sandwiches." Ham then went into the kitchen. I saw Benny sitting up against the wall looking normal. I walked over and slid down next to him. "You're awfully quiet." He nodded his head. "Just thinking," He replied. "Why aren't you acting weird like the rest?" Out of all of them, he seemed like he was fine. "I took a bite out of the brownie but it tasted bad. So I spit it out in the trash." I hadn't noticed. "You didn't want to join the 'higher than life' gang?" He shook his head. "No, but I was hoping that I would talk to you." I raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" He nodded his head. "Yeah, but after all these blockheads calm down and hit the hay." I scoffed. "Alright,"

It took a couple of hours but everyone had gone to sleep. Some were in Bertram's room, some in the guest room, and a few in the living room. Benny and I cleaned up in silence that way Bertram didn't have to do all the work tomorrow. When we finished we turned off the lights and sat down on the bed of the master bedroom since all the other rooms were filled with snores. He had closed the door which probably meant that whatever he had to say he didn't want the others to hear. "So, what is it you want to talk about?" I asked not knowing what to expect. "You're mad at me, aren't you?" He rubbed the back of his neck and didn't look at me. "No, why would you think that?" He shrugged. "Lately you've seemed mad. Like I did something wrong." He then looked over at me. "Did I do something wrong?" No, right? I wasn't necessarily happy about him veering off but he had his own life and I had no entitlement to control him. "No." He stood up. "Then why do I feel like I owe you an apology?" I shrugged. "Maybe you feel guilty?" He looked confused. "Guilty for what?" I then stood up. "Oh, I don't know. That you haven't been around lately." We made eye contact and he gave me a groan. "So you are mad at me!" I crossed my arms and scrunched my nose. "I'm not mad at you. But you do have to admit that things have been different lately." He scoffed. "Well yeah! I mean what did you expect? That we were gonna play in the sandlot every day? Drink cokes in the sun, sneak into the pool, catch a late movie and look up at the stars?" I stayed quiet. "That's kids stuff, man. I can't do that anymore. I'm surprised that you guys have continued to do that to this day." He paced around as I watched him vent. "You were there that day, you heard Mr. Mertle. I have to make it! There's no other way I'll make it out of this town if I mess around." He stopped and looked over at me. "I was never mad at you, Benny. I gave you your space because I knew your passion for ball was your priority. If I had known it was going to be such a chore for you I would have checked up on you." He rolled his eyes. "It's not a chore, I love baseball! It's the one thing in my life that hasn't disappointed me."

I could feel the tears coming in but I fought them back. "Well sorry for being such a disappointment! What else could you have expected from me?" I mocked him. "I expected you to be right there!" I couldn't believe him. "I was there, Benny! Every step of the way. I went to every game, whether it was home or out. You probably didn't see me because of your baseball buddies and girlfriends blocking your view." I bit my lip to keep it from quivering. "Well if maybe you had admitted that you liked me, I wouldn't have to fight my way to see you." I walked over to him. "I couldn't compete and I wasn't going to give you an ultimatum." He stepped back and shook his head. "There was never a competition." We both got quiet and I looked down at the floor. The tears came out and I quickly wiped my face. I sat down on the bed and Benny plopped down beside me. He wrapped his arm around me and rested his chin on my head.

We stayed like that for a few minutes. I found myself humming Sonny and Cher while in his embrace.

\- "They say we're young and we don't know

We won't find out until we grow" -

I looked up at him with a small smile and he sighed giving in.

\- "Well I don't know if all that's true

Cause you got me, and baby I got you" -

We then both started singing the chorus.

\- "Babe

I got you babe

I got you babe" -

We both chuckled and leaned back in the bed. "I didn't want you or the guys to feel like I abandoned you all. I just figured that we would all grow up and apart. That's what everyone says happens." He turned over to face me. "You really came to every game?" I slowly nodded my head. "Every. Single. One." He gently took my hand and studied it. "I feel like a jerk. I'm sorry, Robin." His hands were calloused from all the work he did in his favorite sport. "It's okay," He then brought my hand to his lips and gently kissed it. "Things are going to get harder from here, aren't they?" I asked in a whisper. We stared at each other for a good long while. "I hope not." I then gripped his hand, "Can you promise me something?" I asked. "What?" I then leaned in closer. "Promise me that you won't forget us when you make it big." He seemed surprised. "I don't think you should worry about me, I'm sure you'll be a rock star yourself. You've got talent too, ya know." I shook my head. "Not likely, but you'll make it. Just promise me, okay?" He slowly nodded his head. I pulled our hands onto my chest. "You keep your word which lies on your heart. You bring it in to seal it because it's sacred." He then pulled them onto his chest. We stayed like that, with our hands folded together. "You really think I'll make it big?" I whispered. "Most definitely, and I expect you to remember us all too." I then smirked. "Are you kidding me? I'm gonna replace you all with a bunch of dogs when I get the dough to do so." He leaned his head back and laughed his heart away. I couldn't help but laugh myself. "You're too much, Robin!"

**Songs used in the chapter (I do not own this song):**

I Got You Babe by Sonny & Cher


	18. Chapter 18

**Over The Rainbow **

I had gathered the boys up in the living room after they had all woken up. I tuned the ukulele as they all waited patiently, well, almost all of them. "We ain't got all day!" Ham said in between bites of his sandwich. I scrunched my nose, furrow my brows, and stuck my tongue out at him. Once I got it right, I cleared my throat. "I know some of you haven't heard me sing, so I thought I should do it now all while we're still together here." The only ones that have seen me perform were Benny, Yeah-Yeah, and Kenny. I took a deep breath and started:

\- "Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high

There's a land that I've heard of once in a lullaby.

Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue

And the dreams that you dare to dream

Really do come true.

Someday I'll wish upon a star

And wake up where the clouds are far behind me.

Where troubles melt like lemon drops,

High above the chimney tops,

That's where you'll find me.

Somewhere over the rainbow, blue birds fly

Birds fly over the rainbow

Why then, oh why can't I?

If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow

Why, oh why can't I?

Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high

There's a land that I've heard of once in a lullaby.

Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue

And the days were we'd all play ball,

Is where I love you." -

I kind of choked up at the last part and had to look up without crying. I had replaced the last part with a little something for all of them. They would never know how much it meant to me to be a part of this group. Tommy came over and hugged me tightly. I kissed the top of his head and hugged him back. They all started to crowd around me, each waiting their turn for a hug. I couldn't help but giggle. "It's definitely your cycle talking, you don't cry for anything." Squints said with a smile. I nodded my head, "Absolutely!" I was going to miss all of this. I knew that we'd all go our separate ways, but I also knew I was going to keep in touch with all of them no matter what.

Later on, I paid a visit to Mr. Mertle. We sat down in his baseball room and talked. He had told me some stories of his childhood and about The Babe. I stroked Hercules' head and ears through every story. "What's on your mind, young lady?" I sighed. "Growing up is hard," I replied. He chuckled. "Everything from watching the boys shoot up and their voices dropping, to me getting my period. Along with all the drama that has happened in the last few years! I didn't expect it to be like this, I just had assumed things would be a lot more….simpler." He chuckled again. "What would you have preferred?" I smirked. "This. Always this." He nodded his head. "What's it like? To watch us all..?" He adjusted himself and leaned towards me. "I was very young when I had my kids, by the time they left the nest I had just then considered myself an adult. Now, they're grown with their own kids and my wife's long gone. The one thing I didn't pay attention to the first time was really watching my kids grow. When their voices changed, when they didn't need to hold my hand anymore, when they could drive on their own. It had happened so fast and so long ago. When you all came along, I finally saw what I had missed. To answer your question, it's been a real privilege to watch you kids grow up and I can't wait to see what you all accomplish." I reached over and placed my hand on top of his and squeezed him. "Just out of curiosity, how did you take the news?" I cocked my head, "What news?" I asked. "About your mother being pregnant." I leaned back and rubbed the back of my neck. "Oh, I was surprised. Why? Did she call you and tell you today?" He gave me a weird smile. "Yeah...about that. She told me about 3 weeks ago." I nearly fell off the chair. "She what!?"

**Songs used in the chapter (I do not own this song):**

Somewhere Over The Rainbow by Judy Garland


	19. Chapter 19

Hey guys, here's another chapter and it's my longest one so far! This one is another time skip so everyone is all grown up. **Disclaimer**: I have a song in here that an OC of mine is "writing" but it's an actual song: When We Were Young by Adele. I **DO NOT** own the song nor did I create it. I wanted to feature it because I feel like this song fits the theme of this story perfectly. I'll start putting the songs that are included in the chapters below just in case anyone wants to go check them out. I've also tried to keep all the songs realistic in terms of historical timing, the only exception is the Adele song. **Disclaimer:** I don't own The Sandlot or any of the Sandlot characters. I only own my OC's. Enjoy!

**Late Nights and Bright Lights**

TIME SKIP - 8 YEARS

I took off my heels with a groan before I started to unlock the door. I had just gotten done with a gig and an argument so I was tired and hungry. When I opened the door I noticed the lights were on. "You awake!?" I shouted as I walked in with a couple of bags of McDonald's. "Yeah! Just give me a second!" I heard him reply. I tossed my shoes as I placed the bags on the counter. "What'd you bring me?" Ham asked as he walked in with a towel over his shoulder. "A big mac, extra cheese." It looked like he had just gotten out of the shower since his hair was wet. He went through the bags and grabbed his stuff. "Rough night?" He asked right before he adjusted his white shirt. "You could say that. I just had to fire our manager!" I grabbed a fry and nibbled on it with a frown. "What happened?" He asked before he took a bite. "I found out he was stealing some money from our charity donations! I finally found out about it and told him that The Melting Pot was done doing business with him. Now I gotta figure out how much he stole and make up the money. What an asshole!" I shoved a few more fries in my mouth. "Who steals money from charity?" I shrugged. "I guess assholes do." I reached in and grabbed my big mac and took a giant bite. "Well, at least you found out now rather than later. You're better off without him." I nodded my head in agreement. "How was your night?" He then turned around and lifted his shirt to show me the new bruise of the week. "Ooooh, that looks bad!" I admitted while still chewing. "Yeah, it is. But it got me so many numbers!" I couldn't help but smile. The Great Hambino always got numbers. After high school, Ham really got into wrestling, so much that he's now one of the most famous wrestlers in North America. I, on the other hand, am still in the music business. We released our first album a few years ago and it did well. We kept releasing music and here we are; nothing major just yet but we're getting there."Mmm! I got a call from Smalls and he has a request." I raised an eyebrow. "A request? For me?" He nodded his head, "Yes, he wants to know if you'll sing the national anthem at the next game." I almost choked. "What? No way!" He quickly passed me my coke and I gladly took a sip. "He put in a good word for your band and they want to schedule a meeting. I was shocked. Smalls was the sports commentator for the LA Dodgers. Even though our band was slowly making our way up into popularity, this would put us on tv! This would be huge! "I gotta call him!" I looked down at my watch: 1:30. "Maybe you should do that tomorrow, considering it's the middle of the night." He was right. "Ooh if this works out I owe Smalls big time!" We continued to eat and chat for a bit before he decided to go to bed. I ate the rest of my meal on the balcony and watched the city lights. Ham and I decided to be roommates since we had gotten very close after high school. I had stayed in touch with all the boys but Ham and I stuck together for some reason. I rolled back my shoulders and tried to get comfortable. Performing always took a physical toll on me since I had to wear uncomfortable clothing and shoes all while dancing and singing. I reached underneath my shirt and unhooked my bra. I sighed in relief as I pulled it off and threw it to the ground. The best feeling in the entire world. I leaned back and propped my feet up on the ledge while still munching on my fries.

I pulled over my guitar and started to strum a random tune. It had been years since the last time we were all together. All the memories from my childhood started flooding back. "When we were young, when we were young..." I then lost it. "Maybe a potential chorus?" I asked out loud to myself. I got up and leaned over the ledge with a sigh. Singing the national anthem would mean I would get to see Benny. Out of all the boys, he and I had talked the least, well besides Bertram. Whenever our band finished an album I would send a record with a personal note to all the boys. So, not talking but at least something to still connect us. I knew I had to do better, but at least it was better than nothing. I watched from afar how all the boys did with their lives. Benny The Jet Rodriguez certainly made a name for himself. There wasn't a kid from our town that didn't know his name or his story. Whenever he would make the paper, I made sure to scrapbook it. I had made it to a couple of games of his but never went to go speak with him. In all honesty, I was scared. In our senior year of high school, I had realized that I loved him. I mean, I loved all the boys, but I was in love with him. But of course, he was getting somewhere by playing ball. I would have been a distraction. The words his father had told me one night before a big game that had never left my mind since then. Deep down I know I still love him, that's why no relationship has ever worked out for me. I tried so hard to get rid of that feeling in my stomach when I would see him or even think of him. What always got me were those eyes of his, how they always made me want to stay. Also, the little touches he would do when it was just me and him. I remember, there was this one night that I had almost kissed him. But I didn't. It was probably for the better. I'm sure he had plenty of women to choose from that would keep him occupied. There was no way I could compete.

I had woken up and the first thing I did was give Smalls a call. He seemed pretty happy to hear from me and we had scheduled a meeting for today. I had called the band and it seemed like I was going to be the only one able to make it to the meeting. Which was fair, it was our day off and we were all pretty beat after last night. Later in the day, I drove to the Dodger Stadium, which wasn't that far from where I lived. I went inside and was met with Smalls, public relations people, promoters, and coordinators. I ran over and gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. He hugged me back and laughed. I pulled away and saw that big smile on his face. "Hey! How are you, Scotty?" The people around us just watched with smiles. "I'm doing great, how have you been doing miss rockstar?" I chuckled. "I've been doing pretty good myself, thanks for bringing up my band." He then introduced me to his fellow staff members. All of them seemed nice and were interested in The Melting Pot's music. One thing led to another and suddenly my band was scheduled to perform the national had decided to take me to his office after the meeting. I ran over to a chair the moment I spotted it. "Quite a view!" I said as I plopped down and leaned over to admire the field. "Yeah, never gets old." I looked over and saw our group pictures of when we were kids. He also had a few prized balls on display. "Look at you, a Mr. Mertle in the making." We both chuckled and I started to fiddle with his pens. "So, how has he been?" I asked knowing he knew who I was referring to. "He's been awfully busy, but overall good." Those two had stuck together like peas and carrots, kind of like how Ham and I did. "I bet, it isn't every day you make it to the major leagues." He stared at me. "What's wrong?" I asked. "I've been thinking lately, about when we were kids. A lot has changed." I nodded my head. "Yes, a lot has. Did you hear about Squints?" His eyes widened, "Yeah! What is it? Baby number four or five? I lost track after the third." We both chuckled. After high school Squints married the girl of his dreams, Wendy Peffercorn. They did not waste time in the baby-making part! "What about you? Have you found a special lady in your life yet?" He shook his head. "Not yet, but I'll let you know when I do. You?" It was my turn to shake my head. "You already know, no man can handle me!" We both laughed and then it got quiet. "He misses you." I scoffed. After all the notes and albums I had sent him I had never gotten anything back. "Does he truly?" He got down and sat beside me. "He does. The other day we were talking about high school and I brought you up." I leaned over to him. "And what did he say?" He shrugged. "I should reach out to her." I raised an eyebrow at him. "I have yet to get a call."

Days had passed and before I knew it the day had come and I was nervous. Was I nervous about singing in front of a crowd of 56,000? No. Was I nervous about seeing Benny? Yes. We had rolled our equipment on the field and I was front and center with the camera on me. "Singing our national anthem is Robin along with her band The Melting Pot!" Smalls said through the intercom. There were some cheers before it got quiet. I took a deep breath and started:

\- "Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light

What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?

Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,

O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?

And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,

Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.

Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!" -

The crowd roared and I couldn't help but smile. I then gave a little bow before the camera was moved away. I was then escorted off the field by a few guards, which was quite fancy in my opinion. The players had been lined up with their hats off during the song but were now clapping. A few whistled and called me as I walked by but I ignored them. I waited for the rest of my band and we all celebrated in the party box. We all clanked our cupped beers together with laughter before taking a sip. "This is the coolest! I can't wait to do some more of these. Especially with the best food in the world!" Luke shouted as he eyed over to the hot dogs and hamburgers. I giggled as his eyes widened when he realized there was cotton candy as well. "You said it!" Henry said with a smile. "Did you see all those players, Robin?" Joanna asked while wiggling her eyebrows. "I might need to get well acquainted with them after the game." She said as she winked at me with a little shimmy. I nearly spewed out my beer. "Be careful, Joanna! I heard they hunt in packs." Gabriel added. "This must be my lucky day." She replied with a smile. Oh boy, if anyone could get a man in a matter of minutes, it was Joanna. She was the smoothest girl I had ever seen. She was also the busiest member of the group if you know what I mean. She had so many stories and she always included the details. "Did you get a glance at Benny?" She asked as we walked over to grab a hot dog. "No, I didn't," She then nudged my shoulder. "You should, he looks handsome!" She said with a wink. "Yeah?" She nodded her head. "Oh yeah, go talk to him after the game. I'm sure he would want to spend some time with you." I shrugged. "I don't know, Joanna. Don't you think I would be pushing my luck?" She gasped loudly. "Robin! How dare you! You're wonderful, Honey! Don't you forget it for a moment." I couldn't help but smile. "He would have to be the absolute dumbest person on earth to turn you away." I hope she was right.

It was the Giants vs the Dodgers and the score was close. I watched it intently in the last quarter as both teams played. That's when my focus was on Benny. I had my hands folded together and listened to Smalls commentate. All of a sudden the ball was hit and Benny was stealing home. I stood up and watched in amazement at how fast he could run. The crowd roared again and I jumped up and down in celebration. The Dodgers had won. His teammates ran over to him and grabbed him in happiness. I watched as he ran towards the crowd and looked up. He then gave a thumbs up to someone before running back towards his teammates. Joanna clapped her hands together, "Looks like I'm gonna be real busy tonight! Robin, Honey, there's gonna be a party afterward. We have to go." I guess it would be a good time to go see him. "Okay," She then pulled out her phone and dialed away. "Who are you calling?" I was confused. "My sister, I'm gonna have her bring us some clothes to wear for the party." Oh boy, when Joanna meant clothes she meant risque clothes.

"I don't know about this, Joanna!" I said while trying to tug my tight dress down. It had been a few hours of hair and makeup later and we were heading into the lion's den. She had me wear this little black dress that was a little too short for my taste. "Don't worry you look great, Honey. If you're worried that the guys might be all over you, leave it to me. I'll take care of every single one of them." She wore a short white dress that had a diamond-shaped opening on her stomach to show off her flat midriff. She then grabbed my hand and pulled me along to the giant mansion in front of us. "How did I end up here!?" I asked in a panic. "Thanks to me!" We were greeted by a very tall man standing outside the door and Joanna smiled up at him. "Benson! Glad to see you!" He smiled at her. "I'm glad you were able to make it." He then opened the door for us. "Right this way, ladies." She gave him a wink before pulling me in with her. "I'm gonna have to see him later." She whispered with a smirk. There were tons of people talking and dancing around and suddenly I felt very small. "Where to first?" I asked searching for his face nervously. "Hmmm, how about we go get a drink to loosen you up a bit?" I nodded my head. "Okay, good idea. And then?" She pulled me with her as we walked through the crowd. "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Relax." She said as she patted my arm gently. She was right. I needed to relax. We walked over to a table that had platters of food and glasses of champagne. She handed me a glass with a smile, "Nothing wrong with a little bubbly." She grabbed one for herself as I still looked around. We clinked our glasses together and we both took a sip...er gulp… Her eyes widened as she watched me down the whole thing. I swallowed the last of it before placing the glass back on the table. "You feel better?" I nodded my head. "I think so," I tried to give her a convincing smile but she just looked more concerned. Why was I so freaking nervous? It would be one thing if I was professing my love to him after all these years, but I was just gonna say hi and maybe catch up with him. Nothing too major! "Would you care to drink another with me, Sweetheart?" I heard a deep voice from behind me. Judging by the look on her face he must have been quite a looker. I slowly turned around to a broad chest, I looked up to see nothing but a jawline that could cut anyone and dimples that could compete with mine. "Actually, how about we share a drink, Dear?" Joanna shoved me out of the way with a devilish grin. He seemed to be much more enchanted with her and smiled at her. She gestured for me to go on and I gave her a nod of thanks. I made my way through the swarms of people uncomfortably searching high and low. I was just about to check the upstairs when I caught a glance of a familiar build. He wore a casual black suit that fit him well. I cocked my head and slowly made my way over to the figure. He was standing with a few guys who were all laughing and I saw the side of his face. It was him. I quickly made my way over to him just to hear "Benny!" A pretty busty blonde ran over to him and I whipped around in the other direction so fast I almost lost my balance. I hid behind a marble pillar and watched them from afar. She seemed giddy because she was bouncing up and down with a smile. Maybe I shouldn't go to him just yet, maybe I should just wait it out? That's when Joanna slid in front of the blonde, "Benny Rodriguez!" She said as she looked around. "Shit!" I whispered to myself. "Joanna, hey!" He hugged her and I turned around. This suddenly got awkward and I knew I had to go over there to smooth things over. I was no chicken. I straightened myself up. "How have you been-great! Have you seen Robin yet?" That was my cue. "Hey, aren't you the one who sang the national anthem today?" A lady in red asked me. "Oh, yes." I answered. She then smiled. "I thought you sang it so beautifully! Please go sing something up on stage." She grabbed my hand and dragged me behind her. "Wait!" I shouted but was ignored. She brought me over to a huge separate room that indeed had a stage along with performers already there. "Hey! This girl sang the national anthem at the game! She's got a great voice, have her sing a song!" She shouted over to the current singer who was currently drinking a bottle of water. "Oh, well sure thing, babe!" He said with a smile. "Actually I need to-" I was quickly silenced as I felt a couple of hands lift me onto the stage and was handed the mic. "Here, ya go! Ready whenever you are." I watched as the crowd below me gather their attention to me. Well, the show must go on.

\- "Love, love will keep us together

Think of me babe, whenever

Some sweet talking girl comes along singing her song

Don't mess around, you've just got to be strong, just stop

'Cause I really love you, stop

I'll be thinking of you

Look in my heart and let love keep us together." -

I noticed that Joanna came running in and made her way up to the front. She gestured to my feet, I quickly took off my heels and threw them to her. She caught them with a smirk while shaking her head. I couldn't help but shrug as I continued to sing.

\- "You, you belong to me now

Ain't gonna set you free now

When those girls start hanging around talking me down

Hear with your heart and you won't hear a sound, just stop

'Cause I really love you, stop

I'll be thinking of you

Look in my heart and let love keep us together.

Whatever." -

The crowd seemed to get into the song because everyone was watching me and dancing along.

\- "You better stop

'Cause I really love you, stop

I'll be thinking of you

Look in my heart and let love keep us together

Whatever, ba-ba-ba-ba-ba, whatever

I will, I will, I will, I will." -

After I finished the song the crowd burst in cheers and applause. I gave a little bow and turned around to the band and gestured to them for another round of applause since they were terrific in catching on. "Thank you!" I told them all before I made my way off the side of the stage. I had hands jut out for me in assistance. I got a lot of compliments and pats on the back from oncoming people. I tried to thank them all and make my way over to Joanna. "What happened!?" She asked in laughter. "I left you alone for five minutes and suddenly you're up on stage performing!?" I shrugged sheepishly. "You know how my luck is, I always end up in weird situations." She then bit her lip. "Well, it's about to get weirder." I was about to ask her what she meant but then he appeared in one swift motion. "Well if it isn't the Rockin' Robin." He had that smug smile on and his eyes twinkled from the lights. "Benny…" Joanna handed me my heels before saying, "You kids catch up, I gotta date with the sasquatch. Will you be okay if I go?" I nodded my head, "Yeah, go have fun." She then sashayed away. "You know how to make an entrance." He said with a chuckle. "I was kind of forced to, the people here are friendly but boy are they touchy." He then offered me an arm. "Come on, how about you get some air?" I took it with a raised eyebrow. "Got something up your sleeve?" He shrugged with a smile. "Guess you'll have to find out." He led me upstairs to a large balcony. I was surprised to see it empty since there were people everywhere. "Awfully quiet out here," He nodded his head. "That's what all the guest rooms are for. Why go out on the balcony when you can have some comfort and privacy?" I then gave him a look. "Been to a party or two?" He reached up and rubbed the back of his neck. "That's what happens when you make it to the majors. I'm sure you've had your fair share…?" He looked at me for reassurance and I slowly nodded my head. "Yeah, kind of," I then looked away. I've been to plenty of parties that had loads of making out, snorting coke, splashing beer around, and loud music. I was usually the loud music though. "You sang great out there on the field today. And earlier downstairs." I smiled. "Thank you." I brushed back my hair as he cleared his throat. "So, how's the family been? The twins are still in elementary, right?" I nodded my head. About a few weeks after I had found out about Mom's pregnancy the doctor told her she had not one, but two babies to be expected. It was a major shock to everyone, mostly to me because I had gone from being an only child to the oldest in a matter of months. Although, I will admit that Francisco and Jessica were the cutest babies I had ever seen. "They're all good and yeah 4th grade. I visit home every once in a while. What about your folks?" I asked with a smile. "They're all good too." It got quiet for a second and I quickly asked about his career. "Yeah, it's crazy but it's everything that I've ever wanted. Playing baseball for a living, traveling the country, have a huge support system, and meet some great people along the way. What more could a guy ask for?" I nodded my head. I was happy that he was living his dream, not everyone was so lucky. "What about you? Surely the life of rock and roll is something amazing to wake up to every day?" I scoffed. "Yes, I've learned to expect the unexpected." It then got quiet and it somehow got awkward. I couldn't help but laugh. "What's so funny?" He asked, confused. "How did it get like this? We used to stay up late all night and have talks about baseball and conspiracy theories and here we are, struggling." I sat down on a bench nearby and dropped my heels. "Yeah, I remember those conversations. We used to stay up for hours. Remember when we would go to that one grassy area and just watch the stars?" I nodded my head. "I miss those days. Life was so simple." I turned to look over at him. "Hey, you wanna get out of here and go back to my place? I'm sure Ham would love to talk to you for a bit." He seemed to perk up a bit. "Hell yeah, let's go."

We had called a taxi and were sitting in silence on the way over. "So, you and Ham?" I looked over at him with a raised eyebrow. "Are you two….?" I quickly shook my head, "No. I love Ham, but he's my brother. That's why we're roommates." He nodded his head and didn't question me any further. That was such a weird question, I hadn't expected that coming from him. When we got to my door I could hear music playing. "Hmm, I guess he's got a date tonight," I said as I pulled out my key and unlocked the door. "Hammy, I'm home!" I sang out as I walked in on him spraying cologne down his pants to Elvis playing in the background. "Perfect timing! Tell me how do I look-" He looked up at us and dropped his cologne bottle. "Benny!?" He then rushed over and grabbed Benny's hand and patted his back. "Good to see you, man! Congrats on winning today." He said with a smile. "It's good to see you too, and thanks." I gave them a little time before I walked into his room and turned off his record player. I found a navy blue coat hanging up on his door that matched his shirt and pants and grabbed it off the hanger. I turned off the lights and shut the door behind me; I picked up the cologne bottle off the floor and placed it on the coffee table. I then walked back over and handed his jacket to him. "Thanks, does it look good?" He asked while gesturing to himself. "Of course, now get out of here! Don't make her wait!" I said as I pushed him out the door. "Wish me luck! See you guys later!" I shut the door behind me and smiled at him. "He go on dates a lot?" He asked. "Oh yeah," I replied as I walked over to the kitchen and flipped on the lights, "Can I get you anything?" He shook his head. I, however, grabbed myself a bottle of water from the fridge. As I opened it up and took a sip, he watched me. "You still love me, right?" I spewed out my water into the sink since I had accidentally inhaled it from that startling question. "I'm gonna take that as a "no"." I raised my hand and shook it. I collected myself the best that I could as I stood back up and patted my mouth dry. "Of course I still love you, we've been through so much together, Benny. I thought you knew that?" He didn't meet my eyes. "You….you didn't go after me like I thought you would. I know that you keep up with all the others. Smalls always let's me know when you send him a postcard from touring, or when you send him a new album. It wasn't much of a stretch to think you do the same for the others. But when I didn't get anything, it hurt. I know I shouldn't have expected you to do all the work, I could've easily picked up the phone and called you at any point. But, I noticed something in our senior year. You didn't talk to me the same way you used to. It was so confusing. Did I do something wrong?" I was a bit confused. I did try to reach out to him by sending him stuff but he never bothered to respond. At least that's what I always thought. "Benny, I sent you a record every time The Melting Pot finished an album." He looked up at me with confusion written across his face. "What?" I walked out of the kitchen and turned off the light. I headed over to the couch and sat down; I patted him to sit down next to me and he slowly made his way over. "I guess, you never got them. I didn't send it to you personally because I wasn't sure where you lived, but I always sent it to your parent's house and had instructions for them to send it to you." It made sense now. His Dad wasn't gonna have me distract him. He sat down and shook his head. "That doesn't make any sense though, why wouldn't they send them to me?" I guess I should tell him, if not now then never. "You mentioned earlier how senior year I was acting differently towards you? Well, here's why."

\- Flashback Starts -

I was brushing out my hair in the restroom mirror as Mrs. Rodriguez called out, "Alright, let's go! Robin!?" I was just finishing up, "Listo!" I replied. I turned around and was about to head to the front door but was stopped by Mr. Rodriguez. "Lo siento," I replied since I bumped into him. "Robin, you're here?" I nodded my head. "Yeah, I'm coming with you guys to the game." He gave me a weird look. "You getting dolled up better not cost us the game." I was taken aback. He said with a slight aggression that I had never heard before. "No sir, not getting dolled up just getting ready." He scoffed. "You and I both know that isn't true. I know you get all pretty just for him." I could feel some sort of dread sink into my stomach. "I'm not blind, I can see how you two look at each other. You're both kids, don't get yourselves involved with something neither of you know about. After all, you've got your singing career and he has his baseball one. Focus on that; you would just be a distraction. Do I make myself clear?" I wanted to say something, anything to tell him off, but I couldn't. "Yes sir." He patted my shoulder with a smile. "Good, come on. We've got a game to catch."

\- Flashback Ends -

His eyes were focused elsewhere with his leg rapidly bouncing up and down. "Benny…" He stood up. "I cannot believe my Dad would do that. I sighed as I watched him pace around. "I trusted him and he….a distraction!?" He turned around and looked down at me. He opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. His eyes averted mine as he shook his head. "It's okay, Benny. Mira, estamos aqui." I stood up and slowly approached him. "Es mi culpa. I should have known after all this time." He looked up at me and inched towards me. "You were never a distraction. I know this isn't enough but I'm so sorry." He reached up and lightly grazed my cheek. Our eyes bore into each other as if one of us was going to disappear. He reached behind my head and pulled me into a hug. A much-awaited hug. I slid my arms around him and inhaled. He smelled so good and oh had I missed this feeling. He kissed the top of my head gently as he held me close. I could feel all doubts and worries melt away as hope planted itself back into my stubborn heart. I pulled back and gave him a smile. "What shall we do now since we have a lot of time to make up for?" I asked with a wink. "I've got a few things in mind." I cocked my head. "Please don't say parties, I don't think I can handle anymore spontaneous performances or heels for the rest of the week." He threw back his head in laughter. "You're too much, Robin!"

**Translations:**

Listo - Ready

Lo siento - I'm sorry

Mira, estamos aqui - Look, we're here

Es mi culpa - It's my fault

**Songs used in this chapter (I don't own any of these songs and had no hand in creating them):**

When We Were Young by: Adele

The Star Spangled Banner written by: Defence of Fort M'Henry

Love Will Keep Us Together by: Captain & Tennille


	20. Chapter 20

Hello readers, in this chapter there are mature themes. They talk about sex and there is a sex scene! If you don't like this and don't want to read the sex scene, skip the fourth paragraph. There are some mentions of sex in the second paragraph. Just to clarify and remind everyone, everything is consensual and they are all adults; specifically in their mid twenties. These are adult things and it's a part of life. So you have been warned! Also, another reminder, I** do not** own The Sandlot or any of the Sandlot characters. I only own my OC's. Enjoy!

**Home Sweet Home **

RING! RING! RING! I sat up and looked over at the clock: 8:30 AM. The ringing had stopped and I heard some murmuring in the other room. I then had a familiar smell reach my nose and I couldn't help but smile. Bacon and scrambled eggs. Usually, the smell of bacon reminded me of my Abuelito, but in this household bacon and eggs meant that a certain someone got laid. "Robin! It's your mom!" I rolled over the bed and stood up. I stretched a little before walking over to the door and opening it. I saw that the back door was open while there was a slight cloud of smoke. I walked down the hall and into the kitchen. "Yeah, everything is going great, Ma. How are the kiddos?" I spotted the bacon sitting on a plate and I slowly reached over. "That's good to hear." He then swatted my hand with the spatula. I couldn't help but giggle as he turned around and gave me a "stern" look. "Well, here's Robin." He then handed the phone over to me. "Hi, Ma!" I said with a smile. "Hi Mamas, Ham was telling me that everything was going well." I walked away from the kitchen and headed to the balcony. "Yes, did you guys catch us on tv yesterday?" The weather was hot but had a strong breeze to balance it out. "Si! Mamas you guys did so well! We had the whole neighborhood come over and watch you guys." It touched my heart how knitted the whole community still was. "Thank you, Ma. That means a lot to us all." Ham came out with a big plate of bacon and eggs with two forks and set it down next to me. I mouthed "thank you to him" as he handed me a fork. "Mamas, do you think you could come home for today? The kids miss you and I know they would love to spend some time with you." My heart picked up. "Absolutely, I'll come over as soon as possible." I bent down and stabbed a couple of eggs and shoved it in my mouth. "Okay, I'll see you later Mamas. Love you!" I quickly chewed and swallowed. "I love you too, Ma!" I then ran over to Ham and placed the phone up to his ear. "Love you too, Ma!" He said quickly. I could hear her giggle on the other end. "I especially love you too, Ham!" She hung up and I placed the phone back down. "Did I hear you say you were gonna hang out back home?" I nodded my head. "Yeah, I'm gonna eat up and get ready. You wanna come along?" He gave me a "really" look. "Uh yeah! You know I can never pass up a trip home." That was true, every time I went home I always brought Ham with me.

"Alright, well let's eat! Oh, and tell me all about it!" I said as I headed back to the balcony. "About what?" He asked while wiggling his eyebrows. "You know, the highlights of last night." We both laughed, we were so childish. "Just making sure you were paying attention! It was great. I think I like this girl. Strawberry blonde, hourglass but with more cushion, has a beautiful laugh and knows how to eat." We both dug into the delicious breakfast as we talked. "Does this lovely lady have a name?" He nodded his head. "Evangeline, but goes by Eva." I then cocked my head as I watched him stare off in the distance. "Is Hamilton The Babe Porter in love?" He chewed slowly. "Is it too early to call that?" I shrugged. "I don't know, I guess it depends." I wasn't all too sure when it came to this type of stuff. "Well, the best part of the night was definitely when we ate and talked. The second best was when I had her legs over my shoulders and had her screaming my name." There it was. "Oh yeah? Rank it." He then thought for a moment. "A solid eight and a half." My eyes widened. No woman had ever scored that high before. "Really? That good huh? What would have made it a ten?" He took another bite. "It would have been a nine if her roommates hadn't knocked on her door to ask her to "keep it down". And a ten if we were married and I was putting a baby in her." I then scooped up another fork full. "Fair enough, does this mean you've got a second date?" He gave me a smirk. "Of course! Next Saturday." I held my hands in the air. "I'll make sure you have the place to yourself." He then stuck his fist out, I gave him a quick bop. "That's why you're the best roommate ever! I didn't even have to ask, you just knew!" I gave him a little bow. "I am pretty great." We then continued to eat.

"So, how did last night go for you two?" I stopped chewing. Last night was a lot, all good things, just a lot. "It was good," I admitted to him. "Are you guys finally together?" I whipped my head up at him in shock. "Don't give me that look, I ain't blind you know?" I shrugged. "I think right now we're in the process of getting to know each other….again." He stared at me. "Come on, don't hold back! Detail, details!" I chuckled. "We're getting there. I really missed him, Ham. There was a misunderstanding and now I think we've figured it all out." I then smiled. "He said that when this season is over he's gonna spend as much time with me as he can." I sighed knowing that the next time I would see him would mean that I can start revealing the secrets I had been keeping all these years. "So let me get this straight, you guys didn't bang?" My mouth dropped open. "Ham!" He held his hands up, "Not even a kiss?" I couldn't help but laugh. "No, no mouth kiss yet. Just hugs and forehead kisses." I took another bite of the eggs while picking up a strip of bacon. "That's so sweet it's almost disgusting. Why do you guys always have to be so classy?" I snorted. "You and I both know I haven't always been the classiest gal. But with him, I want to do it right. It's been in the making for years now." He nodded his head. "Which gives you both the right to be as raunchy as possible. Sprinkle in some dry humping the next time you see him. Flash him, eat each other's faces, play footsie, just something! This has dragged on for too long. You both deserve this so much." I was touched? I hadn't realized how invested he was in this. "The guys and I had an ongoing bet of when you two would end up together." Damn, they all were invested? "Who won?" I asked. "No one. You guys went on with this farther than we expected. The longest we thought would be the summer after high school. After that, we didn't bring it up anymore." I then felt bad. If I had known I would have ignored Benny's dad and just gone for it. This then gave me an idea. "You know what, Ham, you're right. We deserve this." I then stood up. "What's on your mind?" I quickly walked back inside. "I'm gonna go somewhere. I'll be back in about an hour and a half, so take your time in getting ready." I ran into my room and started to undress. "Where are you going!?" I then walked into my bathroom and turned on the shower. "To go get my man!"

I had to make a few phone calls to figure out where he lived. When I had found out I hopped in my car and drove. Once I found myself at his front door I didn't hesitate to knock. It took a few moments but he finally opened the door. "Robin?" It looked like he had just gotten out of the shower. "Hey," I then walked up to him. "What are you-" I grabbed his face and smashed my mouth onto his. I gave him a bunch of quick pecks but deepened it when he relaxed and kissed me back. He stumbled a little but looped his arms around me and dragged me inside. Before I knew it I was on his bed without any clothes and he was in between my legs. I traced my hands all over his chest and body as I admired his athletic physique. "God, I've waited for this for too long," I grabbed his face and stared into his eyes. "I love you, okay? I'm sorry it took me so long to finally tell you." I could feel my eyes water up as he stared at me in awe. "I love you so much, Benny. I've always loved you and I never stopped." I watched as his pupils dilated. He placed his hand over mine and he smiled. "I love you. Don't apologize, you didn't do anything wrong. I should have manned up and told you so many years ago, but it doesn't matter. We have each other now and everything will be okay." The tears spilled and I laughed. My heart had felt so full of happiness and love. We kissed with desperation. I felt his tongue slip in and I mirrored his actions. Our tongues played as we ground up against each other in haste. He then lowered himself down and left a trail of kisses behind. When his mouth found my vulva I gasped. I felt him gently nibble it and suck on it. I grabbed the back of his hair and ground against him. He traced my opening with his fingers and gently pushed them in. I threw my head back and bit my lip from crying out because it felt so wonderful. He pumped them in and out and looked up at me. His beautiful eyes made me fall into pieces. He leaned up and sucked on my left nipple. I couldn't wait anymore, I needed him now. I pulled his face up and flipped us over to where I was on top. I reached down and grabbed his erection, which, wow, what a length. The simple thought of him squeezing inside made me wet. I stroked him a few times before taking him in my mouth and bobbing up and down. I could hear him groan which made me speed up. I felt him reach for my hair and I released him. "Come here," He whispered to me. I leaned over to him and watched as he pulled out a condom from his nightstand. He opened it and slipped it on as I got on my back and opened my legs. He grabbed his length and lowered himself down and slid in. In unison, we moaned and held onto each other close. "Please," I begged him. He proceeded to push in and out. I was in absolute heaven. He moved back and grabbed my legs and pushed them down as he continued his rhythm. The bed frame banged up against the wall with our pace and it turned me on. "Fuck, Benny!" I cried out. The way he looked at me made me melt into the mattress. He then reached down and started to play with me as he continued with his pace. I gripped onto the covers as the electricity from my crevice jolted throughout my body. I could feel pressure from my stomach build up and I knew I was close. "Eres mi todo." He whispered into my ear. My heart pounded in my chest as he pounded me. "Si, y tu eres mia." I then fell apart. I could feel my legs shake and I pulled him down with me as he finished. We both were gasping for air and were sweaty. "God, you're beautiful." He said as he pushed back my hair and kissed my forehead. I hummed with a smile. Bliss. Pure bliss.

After we had finished our romantic session I invited him to come with me and Ham back home. He was eager and even rushed me. We picked up Ham and started to head home. "So am I now allowed to ask if you two are together?" I laughed as I glanced over to the passenger seat. Benny was all smiles. I looked up in the rearview mirror to Ham, "Yes, and yes." He held his hands in the air, "Yes! I knew it!" He then leaned in between us and wrapped his arms around us. "Finally, but better late than never. I'm happy for you guys." Ham kissed the side of my head and patted Benny's shoulder with a smile. "Are you two planning on telling your folks?" My eyes then widened. I had completely forgotten about Benny's family, specifically his father. "Those are very convincing looks you two are giving me." He said with sarcasm. I glanced over to Benny and he gave me a sheepish smile. "Uh, this visit might get complicated." I returned my focus on the road. "That may be an understatement," I admitted. "Is there something I'm missing?" Ham asked. I groaned out loud. "Your dad is gonna kill me, Benny!" He didn't respond. "Woah! Your pops don't like you two together?" He asked. "Apparently, I'm a "distraction"." Ham winced. "Oooh! That's not true but damn Benny. Your dad is cold." Benny leaned over to me. "I'll make sure he understands. No matter what he says it won't change my feelings for you." I gave him a small smile. "That's sweet of you to say, but I don't think it'll be that simple. Your father cares about you and he sees me as a threat. Don't expect to have him convinced in a couple of hours. This may take a while before he can accept it." He sighed. "I just don't understand him. For him to say something like that is utter bullshit. He didn't have a problem with telling me to go after any of the girls that approached me during the games." Great. That's just great. "That's not good. That means that he doesn't have a problem with you dating, he just has a problem with Robin." Ham said. Oh boy, this was going to be a long visit.

When I pulled up to our neighborhood I saw a few kids playing in the yard. "Robin!" I heard my little brother and sister shout. They immediately jumped up and ran to the car. I parked and opened my door. I was met with two different pairs of arms around me. "Hey, kiddos!" They looked up and noticed Ham and Benny. "You brought Ham and Benny!?" Jessica asked in shock. We all got out and they greeted them with hugs. Ham made sure to lift them both at the same time as the other neighborhood kids crowded around him and Benny. "It's Benny The Jet!" "It's The Great Hambino!" The voices echoed around. I stepped away from them and headed up to the house. Mom and Dad were standing there with smiles. "Hey Mamas!" My mom said as she hugged me. I then hugged Dad. "How's it going, Mija?" They led me inside. "Hey you guys, I'm doing wonderfully." That's when I was met with a furry friend. "Hey, Handsome!" I bent down and hugged Hercules. Even though he was much older he still looked good for his age. "What are you doing here?" I asked him as I kissed the top of his head. "We heard you were on your way and wanted to come and say "hi"." I looked up and saw Mr. Mertle standing in the kitchen. I then got up and walked over to him to give him a big hug. "Oh my goodness, I've missed you!" I said to him. He wrapped his huge arms around me and hugged me back. "How have you been?" I asked as I pulled away to look at him. He also looked great. "I'm doing just fine." He replied with a smile. "If I had known it was going to a full house I would have brought gifts!" My parents chuckled along with Mr. Mertle. "What do you think we are?" Ham asked as he stepped in with Benny. They walked over and greeted my parents and Mr. Mertle with smiles, hugs, and handshakes. "I'm surprised to see you here, Mijo. It's good to have you over." Mom told Benny as she brushed back his hair. "Gracias, I'm sorry for no notice." She waved it away. "It's no trouble, it gives Robin's father a reason to grill." She said it with a wink. I could see everyone's faces light up. Grilled food was comfort food. "I'll make sure to invite your families over. I'm sure they'll be happy to see you all." I then quickly looked over to Benny with wide eyes. "Actually, let me do that for you, Ma." He quickly asked. She was surprised but nodded her head. "Bien, you know where the phone is." With that, he left the room to go call his folks. Yikes. The twins then came inside all sweaty and grabbed onto me. "Tell us the stories about your rock band!" Francisco asked. "You two need to shower up!" They both tried to protest but she grabbed their hands and pulled them away. "She isn't going anywhere! She'll still be here when you two get out." I remember when those two boogers were born. It felt like it was just yesterday.

-Flashback Starts-

I had stood outside the room waiting patiently for Dad to let me know if I could come in. This was it, I was no longer an only child. "Robin," I looked up and saw Dad, "Come on," I walked inside hesitantly and saw Mom's figure. She looked incredibly tired but happy at the same time. "Hey Mom," I said awkwardly as I saw the two bundles in her arms. "Why are you standing so far away?" She asked in a concerned tone. I sheepishly smiled. "Come here," I slowly made my way over to her. "Would you like to hold him?" I didn't answer, I just moved my arms towards her and she placed him in my arms. "His name is Francisco." His squished up face seemed almost like a doll, which was adorable in some weird way. He wiggled a little as I stared at him. "What about her?" I asked out loud. They told me to sit down as they carefully handed her to me as well. She didn't look much different from him. "Jessica." My father answered. I stared at them both as they slept peacefully. "You're so quiet. What's on your mind?" Dad asked. I shrugged. "I don't know, just overwhelmed I guess." He chuckled. "Who do you think they look like? Cause all I see is your Dad in them." Mom asked me. I looked up at her confused. "They look like Dad? Mom, they look like potatoes. They don't look like anyone." Her eyes widened and my Dad cracked up. "Cabrona! They do not!" I looked back down and studied them more closely. "Well, I guess he kind of looks like Dad. But they just look like babies." That's when Jessica opened her eyes. It startled me since they were so big. She then gave me a...smile? She was all gums and her little tongue stuck out. I didn't expect it to be so cute. "Hey, she's smiling at me!" That's when I felt a few rumbles from her bottom. "I think she just farted on me." Mom and Dad chuckled and took them from my arms. "They're cute, Ma. But don't expect me to find them cute when they're crying." I admitted with a smirk.

-Flashback Ends-

"So, you going to tell them?" Ham whispered as I snapped back to reality. "That depends…" I eyed Benny as he walked back into the room. "You think it'll get ugly?" I then glanced back at Ham. "I hope not." I straightened up as Benny approached us. "You don't look too thrilled," I told him. "Because I'm not and neither is my father." I could feel my stomach knot up. "Maybe we should do this another time? I don't want to ruin things with your folks." He shook his head while wrapping an arm around me. "I'm not going to hide anything from them, especially when it's somebody so important to me." I could feel my face heat up as my heart picked up. "Is there anything you both want to tell me?" My Dad's voice caused us both to jump. Mr. Mertle tried to cover his laugh. "Yes sir," Benny replied while glancing between my Dad and me. "Surprise, we're an item!" I added some jazz hands but no one found it funny. My old man had a deadpan face as he eyed us both. "That is…..great!" He then walked over to us and patted our shoulders. "Really?" We both blurted it out in unison. "Yes, although I had figured you two would have gotten together years ago." Ouch, yeah, everyone really was rooting for us. "Why are you both so surprised by my blessing?" Oh boy, "Well, not everyone is going to be as supportive as you are, Dad." He raised an eyebrow. "Who'd be opposed?" That's when we heard the front door open. "Benjamin Franklin Rodriguez!" We all whipped our heads around to see Benny's parents standing in the doorway. "You're back home and you didn't bother to let us know in advance!?" His mother had curly black hair that draped past her shoulders. She was tall and slender with the same hazel eyes he possessed. It didn't take a genius to know that Benny looked more like his mother than his father. "Hola Gina! Hola Bernardo!" My father said with a smile. Benny's father stood behind his wife, he was about the same height as his wife, maybe just a little taller, he had a square like face and was stocky. He didn't look very happy and he avoided my eyes. "Lo siento, Mama. It wasn't planned, it was pretty spontaneous." Benny admitted as his mother walked over to him and pinched his cheek. "Pendejo! A phone call wouldn't have hurt." She then leaned over to me and kissed my cheek. "Hola mamas, como estas?" I gave her a quick kiss back. "Bien, y tu, Mama?" She combed through my hair. "I've been good too." She then went over to Ham. "Ayyyy mi gordito! Why don't you come visit me more often?" She grabbed his face as she hugged him. "Why is it Ham is always the favorite?" I asked out loud. "Because he's Ham," Benny replied. He then walked over to his brooding father. I walked away from them to Mr. Mertle, "You want to go in the backyard and sit out there for a little while?" He smiled at me. "No way, I want to hear all the action!" My mouth dropped slightly open. At least someone will be enjoying this cause it sure as hell wouldn't be me. Oh, could this get any more complicated? "What, now you two? What did you do, get her pregnant?" Collectively all of our heads turned to look at the father-son duo. "It's not like that at all!" I smacked my face in embarrassment. Here we go.

Translations:

Abuelito - grandfather (with affection)

Si - Yes

Mamas - This isn't in Spanish but it's a term of endearment in the Latino community

Eres mi todo - You are my everything

Si, y tu eres mia - Yes, and you are mine

Mija - My daughter (term of endearment)

Mijo - My son (term of endearment)

Gracias - Thank you

Bien - Good

Cabrona - It's a bad word, something like "bastard"

Hola - Hi

Lo siento Mama - I'm sorry Mama

Pendejo - Stupid (masculine)

Hola mamas, como estas - Hi mamas, how are you

Bien, y tu Mama - Good, and you Mama

Mi gordito - My chubby/fat (but with affection)


	21. Chapter 21

Fun Fact #1 (more like facts but oh well)

The Sandlot was a movie that I would watch over at my grandparent's house. They had it on VHS and my sister and I would watch it quite frequently. It had been years since the last time I had watched it fully and thoroughly. It wasn't until this year (I think February to be exact) that I found it on Disney+ that I watched it again. I had forgotten how good of a movie it is. I watched it several times that week and my inner fanfic writer had started working! It inspired me to get back to writing. I had about 5-8 chapters ready by the time I posted the first entry. The rest is history!

**Seeing Eye to Eye**

After Benny's father had calmed down the guys all went out in the backyard. Mom and I along with the kids stayed inside and chatted. "You sure know how to get a party started!" Mom said with a smile. "Is that was this is?" I asked sarcastically. The door opened up and a familiar face popped in. "Anybody home?" Squints asked with a smile. "Hey!" I shouted. He opened the door and allowed Wendy to walk in with their kids. That when I noticed the little bundle in her arms. I wasn't sure if it was just me, but she seemed to look more beautiful after each kid. I walked over and hugged her. "You looked great on tv!" She said as she wrapped an arm around me. "Thank you but you're one to talk. For someone who just had a baby you look like you've never had a kid in your life!" She giggled. As we pulled away I gently reached over and peaked underneath the blanket and sure enough, a little round face was there. "She's beautiful," I whispered. Their kids then ran over to my siblings and greeted each other. "You guys hungry? There are snacks in the backyard." Mom didn't have to say anything else, they all ran to the back door. Wendy walked over to greet Mom while Squints ran up to me and grabbed me. "I missed you!" I said against his shoulder as I squeezed him. He pulled back and had a smirk. "Of course you did!" I smacked him on the shoulder while rolling my eyes. He quickly kissed my cheek and then ran over to Mom. "Ayyye, Squints! I just saw you yesterday!" She said as he squeezed her, "But I missed you! And your cooking." She chuckled. "Hey! My cooking isn't that bad." Wendy said with an unsure look on her face. We all laughed and headed to the living room. "Well, you ladies catch up while I go talk with the guys." Squints said as he approached the back door. "You want something, Mamas?" Mom asked Wendy. "Just water, Mom." She replied as she sat down on the couch.

Time flew by as I talked with Wendy and Mom. It felt great to be back home. Even though there were some days that I missed Brooklyn, I also considered this town my home too. The back door opened up and in came Ham, "Food's ready!" We all got up and started making our way to the back yard where the smell of grilled meats hit us all in the face. My mouth instantly watered and I couldn't help but do a little dance as I grabbed a plate. I then noticed Benny talking to both of his parents very intensely back away from everyone else. My appetite then went away and I dropped my plate.

"Why the long face?" Squints asked as he walked by. He then saw where I was looking and shook his head. "If it's any consolation, marrying Wendy wasn't any piece of cake either." I straightened up and turned towards him. "Woah, no one said anything about marriage. All we're doing is dating and his dad isn't too happy about that. Could you imagine what it would be like if Benny actually did propose?" Benny then shot up. "Well maybe I do wanna marry her!" I could feel my eyes bug out as I watched his mother try to calm him down. "Could you imagine money falling from the sky?" Squints asked out loud towards the sky. He grunted while shaking his head as nothing happened. "It was worth a shot." He muttered. I quickly made my way over to the commotion.

"I'm not gonna ask for any sort of forgiveness, so don't count on it," Benny said through gritted teeth. I placed a hand on his shoulder in hopes it would cool him down. "How about we go grab something to eat?" I asked him. "How about you stop making decisions for him?" His father interjected. "Don't talk to her like that," Benny said with venom. "Look, how about you and I have a talk?" I asked his father. He seemed surprised by this. "What on earth for?" I sighed while looking around. Dad had his eyes on us and he didn't look happy. "Because we're at my parent's house and I don't want to bother the other guests. Also, your problem is with me, not with him." He then stood up. "Fine, let's go have a talk." Benny grabbed my arm to stop me. "You shouldn't have to do this, it's not fair." I patted his hand. "Us two talking isn't the end of the world. Besides, this has had a long time coming."

I proceeded to follow Bernardo back inside the house. I gave both of my parents a wink to comfort their worried expressions. Once we reached the living room he turned around with crossed arms. "You should know why I am upset with you. I had told you before that I didn't want you distracting him and you went behind my back just to do that! I hope you have a good reason for all of this." I couldn't help but scoff. "You're acting like Benny is still a child, we're both adults. Everything is different now. I listened to you and had your voice in the back of my head for years. I wanted to respect your wish but I just couldn't do it anymore. What I have with your son is between me and him. You have no business in keeping us apart. I understand that you don't like me and probably won't anytime soon, but I can live with that. However, I won't put Benny in the middle of this. You either accept me and him together or you don't, but keep him out of it." He didn't say anything. He just grunted. "You don't have my approval for marriage." What? "Who said anything about marriage? I just want to be with your son." He sighed. "Fine. But I'm warning you, you hurt my son-if I hurt your son? You should be more worried about yourself doing that. Benny has always wanted to make you proud, but you acting like this is probably making him rethink that." I think I struck a nerve in him. I wasn't trying to be rude but I needed to be honest. I knew the importance of Benny having his father in his life. "Are we done with this? Can we now have a nice time with everyone here?" He nodded his head.

We all ate together, laughed, told crazy stories, it was great. It really made me miss the boys though. Maybe I should call them all and plan a get together so we all could catch up? Benny had his arm around me and laughed as Squints was explaining the birth story of his most recent child. I couldn't help but smile and laugh too. Being home was pure bliss.

"Robin." I looked up at Mom and noticed the strange look on her face. She had gotten up earlier to go grab the dessert. "Yes?" I asked. "There's someone on the phone asking for you." I was a bit surprised by this but simply stood up and headed over inside. "Who is it?" I asked now, curious. "It's a hospital." I then became even more confused. I walked over to the phone and picked it up. "Hello, this is Robin Sanchez speaking." I then heard a man on the other line. "Hello, Ms. Sanchez this is Dr. Johnson speaking." I didn't know any doctor by that name. "I've called you because you were listed as an emergency contact." My heart then picked up. "An emergency contact for…?" He then hesitated. "Well, my patient is a bit confused here and I just wanted to make sure that you were indeed a real person." I could feel my patience start to leave. "Who listed me as their emergency contact?" He cleared his throat. "Bertam Weeks." My heart then dropped. "He has been emitted into our care due to overdosing."


	22. Chapter 22

Hello, long time no see. I apologize for the long delay in updating. There has been a lot going on with my personal life and I had pause writing for a bit. Don't worry, I shouldn't be taking another break any time soon. Unfortunately, this story is almost complete. Just a few more chapters! So make sure to stick around. Thank you all for patiently waiting. **TW: **Substance abuse is mentioned all throughout this chapter. There are even some descriptive details about the appearance of the survivor. Read with caution and please enjoy this chapter!

Fun Fact #2

I wanted to be as inclusive as possible. Since there was very little information about the original characters, there was room for creativity! I wanted to add to the original characters and give them more diversity. Especially with my OC's, which is why there's a lot of different cultures/backgrounds in this story.

**Saving Bertram**

I was led to his room with Benny, Ham, and Squints. We were told that we could stay with him for a while. Everyone was silent. I didn't dare to look at the others' faces because I already knew how they looked. He was asleep. I saw that he had grown quite a bit of facial hair. There were bags under his eyes, he was discolored, he had bruises and markings all across his body. He was pretty thin and just seemed broken. It didn't help either that he was hooked up to so many machines. I sat down and stared at him. "What happened to you, B?" I croaked out. I sat down on a chair that was by his bed and sighed heavily. Benny rubbed my shoulder and leaned over me. We all just watched him in the quiet as if we were scared of saying what we were seeing out loud. Bertram began to stir, I heard us all in unison hold our breaths. He then slowly opened his tired eyes. "Robin?" He then smiled at me. He reached out for me and I shot up and gently grabbed his hand. "Hey, B. How are you feeling?" I asked, trying to hold back tears. "Like a million bucks." He chuckled while wincing. He then looked behind me and noticed the others. "I can't believe what I'm seeing…" I felt the others approach. "Hey, man." "If it isn't B." "Good to see you, Bertram." That's when the door opened and in came a doctor. "Mr. Weeks, it seems you're feeling better and have company." He had a clipboard in his hands and was writing something down. He approached the monitors and gave them a quick look over. "If you don't mind, I would like a word with Mr. Weeks in private." I looked down at Bertram and he gave me a nod. "Okay." I let go of his hand after I gave it a gentle squeeze.

We all gathered in the hall and couldn't help but shake my head. "I knew something was off this entire time. I sent him so many letters and he never responded." Benny grabbed my shoulder to calm me down. "It was never your responsibility to keep track of him or any of us in that matter." Squints then added on; "He's right, Robin. B knew how to get a hold of us. If he felt like he needed help or just someone to talk to he didn't make it known." He then shoved his hands into his pockets. "We've all got our own lives, our priorities." This didn't make me feel any better. "Well, now I know something's wrong. Now I know I can help him. He can now be a priority and back into our lives." Ham then scoffed. "It's not that simple. It's great that you want to help him, Robin, but you can't do all the work for him." I was surprised that out of the three of them, this was coming from Ham. "I know what your intentions are, you want him to get better and for him to get back on his feet. We all want him to! But you have to realize that this is something he has to want." I was confused. "He listed me as his emergency contact. I think that's his cry for help. He wouldn't have listed me if he didn't want to." Ham shook his head. "A cry for help? Robin, nothing stopped him from picking up the phone and dialing any of our numbers. He chose to do this to himself. It's an addiction. Even if this is a cry for help, and let's just say that he does want to get better because I'm sure he does, for now. He needs to make that decision all over again tomorrow, and the next day and the day after that." He had a point, but I wasn't going to give up that easily. "I understand, Ham. But someone has to be there for him." He nodded his head. "Just understand that at the end of the day, only he can make his own decisions."

The doctor then came back out with a smile. "I'm assuming you're Ms. Sanchez?" I nodded my head. "Yes, is he going to be okay?" He looked at all of our faces and sighed. "He's doing well but needs to be watched over for the next week." The intensity from a few moments ago started to fade. "What can we do to help him?" He then thought for a moment. "Well, for now, you can try visiting him as frequently as you can. He seems to do better with your company. Then after the week is up we'll run a few tests and see how much he's progressed." That sounded good to me. "What about when he's ready to leave? What should we do for him then?" I guess he didn't expect so many questions, especially from me judging by his expression. "I'll recommend the best facilities and help you get all the paperwork for that." Facility? "You mean another hospital?" He nodded his head. "It's recommended that any patient that is dealing with addiction be emitted to a rehabilitation facility. It's to prevent relapsing and help ease withdrawals." Oh boy, this was going to be a lot.

"I'll help you with that," Ham interjected. I raised an eyebrow at him, he sure had an awful lot to say about this whole thing. "Mr. Weeks is a lucky guy to have friends that care. If you all have any more questions be sure to call." He then walked away and I couldn't help but stare at Ham. "This isn't new territory for me. I had to watch my mother struggle with all of this when it came to her brother." Ham had never mentioned this before. "How is he now?" He didn't give me a hopeful look. "Let's just say that he's been my estranged uncle for a long time." I wasn't going to let Bertram be estranged ever again. He's a dear friend and no one should go through anything this hard alone.


	23. Chapter 23

Fun Fact #3

I had based Robin on a famous Latina singer from the 80's/90's. She is considered the "Queen of Tejano". Can you take a lucky guess?

**Behind Closed Doors**

Being worried was an understatement but scared shitless seemed overdramatic. Even though I looked forward to seeing him, I was also anxious because I knew none of this was easy for him. The boys agreed to go visit him on their own time that way it didn't overwhelm him. Baby steps.

**Sunday **

R: "B, why did you list me as an emergency contact?"

B: "You were the only one I had left."

R: "That's not true."

B: "You're right, you were the only one, to begin with."

R: "Do your folks know?"

B: "We don't talk. I haven't had a conversation with them in years."

R: "Why?"

B: "Cause I didn't want to go on mission."

R: "Mission?"

B: "It's this "right of passage" BS that they have us do. We're supposed to convert strangers into joining our church."

R: "Oh, are you guys Mormon...or Jehovah's witnesses?"

B: "Mormon, but don't associate me with either."

R: "No wonder your parents never liked me."

B: "Don't take it personally, they never liked any of the friends I had."

R: "Yikes. So, what happened exactly?"

B: "They were planning for me to go to South America and I told them that I didn't want to do it. This all happened when I was 18. It's been like this ever since."

R: "I'm sorry, B."

B: "I'm not. I had to get the hell out."

**Monday **

B: "Regardless of what they tell you, weed isn't a gateway drug. Don't let them fool you, it has so many benefits. Alcohol is more deadly. In fact, out of all the stuff I took alcohol was the deadliest of them all."

R: "Why is that?"

B: "Because it's the only one that's legal."

**Tuesday **

B: "I tried to stop. Honestly, I did try."

R: "I believe you, B."

B: "I told myself that this was gonna be the last time...and it almost was...for everything."

R: "The important thing is that you're here and you're not alone."

B: "..."

R: "Hey, I've been writing a song. It's kind of messy now but I figured you could help me improve it."

B: "Let's hear it."

R: "Well I think I've got the chorus down, it goes like this: When we were young, when we were young."

**Wednesday **

R: "How did this all start?"

B: "My brother was really into psychedelics. After high school, I tagged along with him whenever he was out and I found a certain crowd. He eventually moved on and I got stuck. I was convinced that these were my people and that they were gonna take care of me."

R: "Peer pressure?"

B: "Yeah, you could call it that."

R: "Well what would you call it?"

B: "Being miserable."

R: "What made you miserable?"

B: "A lot of things."

**Thursday **

B: "I got all your letters, you know."

R: "Oh?"

B: "Yeah."

R: "How'd you get them? I've only sent them to your parent's house."

B: "They always forward it to me."

R: "Gotcha."

B: "But I've never read them. I had them stored up in a shoebox."

R: "Why didn't you read them?"

B: "Because I didn't want to imagine you happy without me."

R: "Without you?"

B: "Yeah, without me. Your friend."

R: "To be honest, I wasn't completely happy."

**Friday **

B: "You ever think about when we were kids?"

R: "Yeah, all the time, B."

B: "Do you sometimes wish you could go back and do things differently?"

R: "I used to, but now not anymore."

B: "Why?"

R: "I just figured that everything happens for a reason. If we were to take back the mistakes we made we wouldn't be where we are now."

B: "What if taking back those mistakes would have been better and made us happier?"

R: "I don't think it would make you happier, just content a little longer before another mistake comes along."

**Saturday **

B: "Robin."

R: "Yeah, B?"

B: "Can I tell you something? Something personal?"

R: "Yeah, of course."

B: "I don't want the others to know about this."

R: "Alright."

B: "There's a reason why I listed you as an emergency contact."

R: "Okay."

B: "This has been a long time coming, but I guess I better tell you now before things get messy."

R: "You're starting to worry me."

B: "Well this isn't gonna make you feel any better."

R: "B-"

B: "I love you."

R: "..."

B: "I have loved you for a very long time. Probably from the moment Scott brought you to the Sandlot."

R: "..."

B: "I never told you because I already knew who you had your eyes on. Although, that didn't stop me from trying. Every time we hung out I tried, maybe a little too hard. When the boys placed their bets on when you and Benny, I felt so torn. But then you guys didn't get together like we all thought you would. I was happy but then upset with myself. We all drifted apart and my life got ugly. I had heard about your success and hoped that secretly you weren't with him or anybody else. I then got caught up with some nasty stuff and next thing I knew I ended up here. I then thought of you. I didn't want to live a life without at least telling you."

R: "..."

B: "This is me telling you now."

R: "B…"

B: "I already know."

R: "I never meant to-"

B: "I know you didn't."

R: "..."

B: "I didn't tell you this to make you feel like shit. I just wanted you to know."

The week was up and I made sure to visit him as usual. But when I got to his room he wasn't there. I had asked the lady behind the desk and she told me that he had checked out that morning. She couldn't tell me anything else and I couldn't help but panic. I called up the boys and none of them had a clue as to where he went. They told me not to worry and that they figured Bertram wanted to do this on his own.

"Maybe this is for the best, Robin," Ham said as he placed a glass of water in front of me. "You and I know how he is. He likes being independent, even when we were kids." This didn't make me feel any better it made me feel like a lousy friend. "I just can't let him go, Ham." He scoffed. "Oh yes, you can. He's not your responsibility. He's a grown-ass man who is capable of making his own decisions. You did what you could and I'm sure he appreciates that. But for now, you need to let him be." I couldn't help but feel suspicious about how nonchalant he was acting. "What are you not telling me?" He shook his head. "Just trust me, okay?" I sighed while nodding my head. "Okay."


	24. Chapter 24

Fun Fact #4

If you guys noticed I had all the kids refer to each other's mothers as "ma" "mamma" "mom". This wasn't on accident, I wanted them to call their friend's parents this to show how close everyone really was. That they are a family.

Hey guys, so I wanted to let y'all know that the next chapter will be the last chapter. It will be extra long and buckle up for a feels trip because it's gonna get mushy. Keep an eye out for the next update. Please enjoy this chapter!

**Putting The Pieces Back Together**

Months had passed and I tried my best to just keep going with my chin up. But the guilt of letting Bertram go didn't sit well with me. Benny tried his best to comfort me, but I could tell it hurt him too. Of course, it hurt me more since I knew something that the others didn't; I had broken his heart. I knew that dwelling on it wouldn't make anything better.

This whole experience with B was eye-opening. I didn't want to take anything for granted. Not time, love, or happiness. Every moment counts.

When I moved here in that summer of '63. When Smalls found me and brought me to the Sandlot. When we all camped out. Getting to know the boys and being a part of their group. Dealing with Mom's ex-boyfriend all while Mr. Mertle and Benny were there for me. All of high school. Just growing up. So many things are different now. Not just my life but everyone else's too. We all grew up and in some ways grew apart. Something I never wanted to happen but just accepted over time.

I was sitting out on the balcony staring out at the city; thinking. I heard the door slide open and saw Benny coming my way. "Hey," He said as he kissed the top of my head. "Hey, I didn't expect you," I responded, still caught off guard. He nodded his head as he sat down next to me. "Yeah, I figured that I would come to check in on you while I had some free time." I gave him a small smile before turning my attention back to the city.

"What's on your mind?" He asked in a low voice. "Anything and everything." He scoffed. "Yeah, sounds about right." He then placed his hand on top of mine. "You know, I've been thinking a lot of when we were kids." I then turned my attention back on him. "We had a lot of good times. Those summers of us just playing in the Sandlot and drinking cokes. Those starry nights and trouble we would get ourselves into." He had a smirk on his face. "Hey, most of the time it was you boys that caused problems. I was the smart one of the group." He threw his head back in laughter. "Yeah right!" I lightly shoved his shoulder. "I'm serious!" I couldn't help but join him and crack up.

"You know last night I had a weird dream." He said as he weaved his fingers through mine. "What was it about?" I asked, now wanting to know. "It's a lot, so bear with me. It starts with me standing in the middle of the Dodgers stadium. The guys were there and they were around me and clapping…" I then quickly realized I knew this dream. It's been years now but I still remember that little black journal of his. I didn't say anything, I let him tell me the whole thing just to make sure I wasn't wrong. "But you know what the weirdest part is? This isn't the first time I've had this dream." I slowly nodded my head and couldn't help but chuckle at the silly memory.

"What is it?" He asked, now confused. "You wrote it down in your journal. I remember it." He then gave me a bewildered look. "How did you-did you snoop around in my room!?" I belted out in laughter. "Come on, Benny. We've known each other for a long time and I've been in your room more times than any of your exes." He couldn't argue with that logic. "I read it that one time I had to hide underneath your bed." He nodded his head, "Oh yeah, jeez, I know it was years ago but it feels like yesterday."

It then got quiet. "I think I know what it means now. Tia Rosa was right. It was a message."

We talked for a good long while before he left. Hours had gone by and I was in my bedroom lost in thought. I had to do it. Now was the time. I then got up and grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil. "Here it goes…" All the memories I had collected over the years started to flood my mind. I went to my music. I tried to put all the crummy feelings I had onto paper and I didn't hold back.

After I was done I quickly grabbed the phone and dialed up someone who owed me.

"Hey, Squints. Remember when we were kids and we made that deal? The one about if I helped you get with Wendy then you would help me with whatever, no questions asked? Well, I'm gonna need that favor right about now."


	25. Chapter 25

Fun Fact #5

I wrote this story because I was in a bad situation at the time. A really bad situation and I needed something to distract me in the meantime. Even though I had a phenomenal support system I still felt awful each day. Every week I worked on this fic and tried my best. I can happily say that I am no longer in that situation anymore and that life does get better. I am so proud of how this came out (even if it isn't very good). I had so much fun with the story and the characters that it broadened my writing.

Overall this story was a wonderful thing to happen for me.

A very special Thank You to FreeEcho who helped me along the way. Please go check out her story! It's called The Sandlot Sisters and it's very good.

One last time, remember that **I do not own** the original Sandlot characters or the original story. I only own my OC's and this story. Please enjoy!

**The Sandlot**

I was setting up with the band to make sure everything was working. Familiar faces started pouring in through the doors of The Grand Slam, the bar in our hometown that we all went to when we turned 18. I made sure to rent it out for tonight. I had figured this would be the perfect spot.

As we, the band and I, were setting up Mr. Mertle along with Hercules came in with a couple of people behind them. I walked over to him and looped my arm around his. "Glad you were able to come!" He smiled and placed his hand over mine. "I hope you don't mind, this is long overdue but I brought my kids." I was speechless. I hadn't expected him to bring them. His son and daughter then approached me. "Hi, Robin, is it? Dad's told us so much about you." The woman said. She had his signature smile and curly hair that went past her shoulders. "I'm Nancy and this is John." She said as she gestured to her much taller brother. He was the spitting image of Mr. Mertle. I quickly let go of the old man and pulled them both in for a hug. I wasn't sure what came over me, considering I usually didn't hug people I had never met. But in some weird way, I felt like I've known them all along. "It's so good to meet you both!" I pulled away and got a good look at both of them. All these years I had wondered what they looked like. They're real and they're here. "Likewise. This has been a long time coming but since we both live pretty far, scheduling has been difficult." John said. I completely understood. I noticed more people coming in and that was my cue to go back to setting up. "You all enjoy yourselves. If you need me I'll be over there with the band." They gave me a nod as I walked back to the stage.

This was great! I couldn't wait until everyone showed up. There would be a lot of catching up but it would all be worth it.

"Did anybody double order the Timmons?" Timmy asked as he strolled in with Tommy. I was humming into the mic when they eyed me. I gave them both a wink while waving at them from above. I was so excited to see people showing up. Squints had to negotiate scheduling with a lot of people since everyone had their own lives preoccupied. He assured me though that he had reached all the boys and they agreed to show up, even Bertram.

Joanna then came over and smacked me in the ass, surprising me for a split second. "You excited, Honey?" I placed the mic on the stand with a huge smile. "Excited is an understatement," I admitted to her. "I bet, you guys have been planning this for weeks!" That's when I noticed Kenny walking in with his kids and wife. "Oh, they're so big now!" Joanna said as we continued to stare at them. "Weren't they babies yesterday?" I asked in disbelief. His sons looked old enough to play ball. Time sure does fly.

After we set everything up I made sure to give everyone a proper greeting, and boy, were there a lot of people. My family, Benny's family, the boys and their families, some of Benny's baseball buddies, the band, and the staff at The Grand Slam. Plenty of hugs, kisses, and handshakes went around. It looked like almost everyone was here. Almost everyone. Bertram hadn't shown up yet and I was getting a little worried. What if he wouldn't show up? What if he was still debating on coming? What if he didn't want to show up because he was still trying to figure stuff out?

"Hey, you ready to start?" Gabriel asked as he placed a hand on my shoulder which jolted me back to what was going on. "You okay?" He asked, now concerned. "Yeah, um okay. Sure." We walked on stage and I stepped up to the mic. "Hello everybody, thank you all for coming. It means a lot to me and all us baseball brats here." There were a few chuckles in the sea of faces below me. "I know what most of you are thinking, 'why did I decide to have a get together all of a sudden?' which is understandable. It's kind of a long story but I'll try to keep it short and sweet. A lot of things have happened this year that has made me realize how long it's been since we've all been here. We've all drifted off but not completely apart and I couldn't wait to see you guys again."

I pulled the mic off and walked around on stage. "Look how we've all grown up. Some of us have kids!" I then eyed over at Kenny and Squints. "More baseball brats!" There was a wave of laughter. "Some of us are focused on our careers." There were a few cheers and I couldn't help but giggle. That's when I noticed the door open up one last time and in came Bertram. I couldn't help but sigh in relief. "And some of us are trying to make a fresh new start. And if you hadn't noticed a fresh new start is just what I needed." I then walked back to the stand and placed the mic back in.

"Years ago somebody once told me that we kids were all gonna be going our separate ways, living our own lives, and all we would have to remember it all was an empty lot full of sand." I then peered over at Kenny. "I'm more than happy to say that we all have so much more than that. It's true, our days of playing on that field are long gone, but we all still are here and better than ever."

I could feel my eyes water up and I had to look up at the ceiling to calm down. Once I was okay I looked back at everyone and smiled. "I was stuck writing a certain song and thanks to a certain someone it's finished. It's dedicated to all my boys."

I then turned around and gave the band a nod. I was finally ready. I took a deep breath and started:

\- "Everybody loves the things you do

From the way you talk

To the way you move

Everybody here is watching you

'Cause you feel like home

You're like a dream come true

But if by chance you're here alone

Can I have a moment

Before I go?

'Cause I've been by myself all night long

Hoping you're someone I used to know -

I pulled off the mic and stepped off the stage. I then walked over to Ham and wrapped an arm around him as I continued on.

-You look like a movie

You sound like a song

My God, this reminds me

Of when we were young -

I then spotted the Timmons brothers. I walked over and kissed Timmy's cheek in a quick motion before turning to Tommy. I couldn't help but gently squeeze his now plump face before planting one on his cheek as well. He gave out a chuckle while I sandwiched myself between them both and squeezed us all together before letting go.

\- Let me photograph you in this light

In case it is the last time

That we might be exactly like we were

Before we realized

We were sad of getting old

It made us restless

It was just like a movie

It was just like a song -

I then made my way over to Benny. He leaned down and placed a quick kiss on my lips all while smiling at me. The butterflies quickly came back along with my own smile.

\- I was so scared to face my fears

Nobody told me that you'd be here -

I then grabbed Alan's muscular arm and pulled him into a hug. I then patted his chest with the back of my hand to see how firm he was, and boy, there was no fat on him. He gave me a smirk right before kissing the top of my head.

-And I swear you moved overseas

That's what you said, when you left me -

I spotted Kenny with his family and headed over to him. His kids were so cute. He gave me a shrug as if he didn't know what to say. I lightly smacked his shoulder with a light laugh.

-You still look like a movie

You still sound like a song

My God, this reminds me

Of when we were young -

Squints kids came running up to me and hugged my legs. I patted their heads as he and Wendy came over to grab them. We fist bumped as I mouthed a "thank you" to him. After all, he helped me put this all together.

-Let me photograph you in this light

In case it is the last time

That we might be exactly like we were

Before we realized

We were sad of getting old

It made us restless

It was just like a movie

It was just like a song -

I walked over to dear old Mr. Mertle who was sitting down with Hercules and his two children. I bent down and gave him a tight squeeze. That deep chuckle rumbled throughout his body. I let go and gave Hercules a kiss on the snout.

-When we were young

When we were young

When we were young

When we were young -

Scotty made his way to me with his hands in his pockets. We exchanged smiles along with an embrace. He kissed the side of my head right before we let go. He then gestured to the very back where a certain someone was. I then slowly walked over to him.

-It's hard to admit that

Everything just takes me back

To when you were there

To when you were there -

He had trimmed his beard and looked so much healthier since the last time I saw him. His arms were crossed and he gave me a small smile.

-And a part of me keeps holding on

Just in case it hasn't gone

'Cause I still care

Do you still care? -

I returned the smile and he hesitantly opened his arms. I closed the distance and wrapped my arms around him with a gentle squeeze. He was okay. I looked up at him and he gave me a nod.

-It was just like a movie

It was just like a song

My God, this reminds me

Of when we were young -

I started to head back to the stage and gave everyone else waves on the way back.

-When we were young

When we were young

When we were young

When we were young -

Once I was on the stage I grabbed the mic stand and pulled it aside. I looked around the room and saw all the faces staring up at me with happiness. It pulled my heartstrings.

-Let me photograph you in this light

In case it is the last time

That we might be exactly like we were

Before we realized

We were sad of getting old

It made us restless

Oh, I'm so mad I'm getting old

It makes me reckless

It was just like a movie

It was just like a song

When we were young-

Everyone cheered and I couldn't stop smiling. I placed the mic back on the stand and gave a quick bow. I then stepped aside and gestured to the band so they could get their round of applause as well. Once it had quieted down I grabbed the mic.

"Thank you to everyone in this room. I am blessed to have so many people in my life that are so wonderful in so many different ways. You all are amazing. Now, who's hungry?"

Everyone was eating, laughing, having a good time. The kids were playing and giggling which brought a smile to my face. All of our parents were reminiscing about when we were little, which meant they brought out pictures. Lots and lots of pictures to pass around.

Bertram came up beside me. I had been waiting to talk to him since many people were catching up with him. "Hey," He said. "Hey, B. How are you?" He sighed and gave me another smile. "I'm doing good. I'm clean, been so for six months." I could feel my eyes water up. He did it. He groaned while slightly shoving me with his shoulder. "Don't cry, you'll mess up your makeup." I couldn't help but laugh. "I'm proud of you," I said while giving him another hug. "I couldn't have done it without your help. I owe you." I quickly shook my head. "You don't owe me anything. You did this." I grabbed his face with both of my hands. "You helped yourself." I kissed the top of his head before giving him one last squeeze. "Hey, B!" Kenny called while gesturing to him to come over. I patted his back as I said "Go on before he sends those kids of his to come get you."

Benny then came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. "This is what we all needed. Reconnection." I nodded my head in agreement. "Yeah, and it's so funny to me. Just a second ago we were all at the Sandlot playing ball. Then I blinked. Here we are now." We swayed a bit as we watched everyone having a good time. He then chuckled. I couldn't help but look up at him. "What is it?" I asked. "What if those days aren't behind us?" Huh? "You scheming something?" He had this grin on his face that made me hope that he was.

Before I even knew it we all were on that field. Kenny was pitching, Ham was catching, and Benny was up to bat. All the boys were at their old spots and our families cheered on while watching us.

"You ready for my heater?" Kenny called out. Benny smirked with a nod. "You better be prepared cause my wife and kids are here and I'm not holding back!" I couldn't help but giggle. Kenny threw the ball and Benny whacked the bat against it, sending it far but not out of the lot. He ran to first base before the ball was caught and thrown back.

It was now my turn to bat and I stepped up to the plate. Francisco and Jessica cheered me on and I made sure to give them a wink. "Robin!" Mr. Mertle called out. "You know Hercules had puppies about a week ago." I knew what he was doing. "Oh did he now?" I responded. "Yes, about five to be exact." I wasn't gonna let him distract me so I gave Kenny the signal to throw. "If you hit a home run I'll give you one." My eyes widened in surprise as Kenny threw the ball. I had to hit hard. With all my strength I swung and slammed the bat against it. The ball flew past everyone and over the fence. Everyone cheered as I dropped the bat and danced around the diamond. "Guess who's getting a puppy!" I shouted with excitement.

Benny had his arms wide open and I couldn't help but tackle him. We both landed on the ground just laughing. "You excited?" He asked while gently brushing the hair from my face. "Oh yeah!" I pulled him up and grabbed his face and kissed him. "Sheesh! Get a room you two!" Ham remarked. I pulled away and rested my forehead against his. "You hear that? Sounds like we need to just move in together." He had a slight blush on his face. "Oh yeah? A new place and a puppy? Anything else I need to know?" I then thought for a minute. "That we need to work on your batting, Benny the Jet. No boyfriend of mine is gonna be caught lacking when he's got Rockin Robin as his girl." He threw his head back in laughter, "You're too much, Robin!"

The End

**Song used in the chapter (I do not own this song):**

When We Were Young by Adele

Even though this story is completed it doesn't necessarily mean it's over. I wouldn't be opposed to writing another Sandlot fic or adding a sequel. Who knows, I might go into the lives of the boys or go into depth of when they were in high school. Keep an eye out for something in the future. Thank you all for reading!


End file.
